


Our Hearts' Symphony

by MysticalVirion



Series: The Light that Binds Us [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Blood and Injury, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Luffy is everywhere, M/M, Medical Inaccuracies, Multi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:28:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23696203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticalVirion/pseuds/MysticalVirion
Summary: One fine day, a lunatic kid flies in the sky with a hand glider until he crashes right onto a sleep-deprived doctor.In a world where soulmates exist, said doctor refuses to believe he has a moron as his soulmate.Then the moron drags him to inescapable mess that is his life.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law, Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Series: The Light that Binds Us [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1698283
Comments: 26
Kudos: 110





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer!
> 
> I am not a doctor (*yet* I will be soon lol) so mistakes are there. Please understand hahaha i only have the creative freedom thing as my shield. ;)
> 
> Also, this fic works in the same universe in a series thing I connected this one. Go check it out! This one is LawLu-centric and the other one is ZoSan-centric. ;)

_ Prologue  _

"Come… on," beneath his gloved palm is the warm and soft muscle of a barely beating heart. Performing a cardiopulmonary resuscitation is the most dreadful part of surgery. Survival chance of patients is lower than a quarter percentage, and a higher risk of complications. During the process, he will feel the very organ that keeps people alive stop completely or beat again. 

Clenching the heart lightly as he pumps it, he looks at the monitor, indicating the flat line of a cardiac arrest. He still has more or less a minute to bring back the heartbeat, or the patient is dead. 

Sweat and tears drop from his glistening skin, his mask stained with blood. Own heart pounding, he clenches his jaws and goes on to pumping his patient's heart again, all his hope onto it. 

His most trusted friend and the nurse in charge of the operation places a gentle hand on his back in an attempt to calm him down. "Captain…" voice little and trembling, the nurse puts more pressure on his back to let him feel his hand. 

"You…" his partner specialist standing across the surgeon looks at him with eyes filled with sympathy, as he breathes erratically. "... can't die..." he takes a glance at the face of the patient, whose mouth is filled with tubes and eyes closed, face flushed of colors. He looks lifeless and it doesn't fit him at all. He looks better smiling and laughing, like the sunshine he is.

The surgeon's breath is caught in his throat as hot tears come cascading from his eyes. "...please," he pauses for a while to glance at his patient's right hand, whose finger's light is slowly flickering, like a worn lightbulb. The sight gets him more power, as he charges one more to resuscitate him. 

A response. Everyone in the operation room lights up with the beep, and it prompts him to go on. He is going live, do stupid things once more and he will still spend the rest of his life wi- 

Felt by his palm was the sudden halt of his patient's heart, like all of its vessels died down within a beat. His trembling hand pulls out of the unnmoving heart, as the stark flickering light from his patient's finger goes out, as if the heart is the switch. 

The world stops around him, all sounds tuning out; from the beeping machines around him and the nurse's and the other doctor's calls to him. He steps backwards, his hands covered in thick blood. 

He felt how  _ his  _ heart stopped, that one, gentle and final touch leaving him empty like a void. It's the only thing that's left tingling his right palm, bidding him goodbye. He wasn't even able to talk to him, nor ever said the words which he knows he longs to hear. Regrets flood his mind, suffocating him.

He looks back at the light which once shone brightly died down, like a candle that caught a strong breeze. 


	2. Crash Landing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law meets a peculiar guy.

_Chapter 1: Crash Landing (on you)_

_190603_

_6:50 am_

_Krrriiiing! Krrrriiiiiing!_

An annoyed groan vibrates from under the messy sheets, whose owner kicks irritably that shakes the bed. The alarm clock screeches once more and the person in the bed springs upright, eyes dark and glaring and his black hair sticking out in all possible directions. 

"Fucking hell…" his voice deep and scratchy, he slams a palm on the ringing clock, effectively shutting it up. 

Glancing at the time, he has slept for around two hours which is an achievement in itself, as he didn't get any yesterday. Having a few available doctors during vacation period is really taking toll on his already battered sleeping schedule. He should have joined those assholes in their merry time so he could take proper sleep. 

Flipping his legs off of the inviting bed, he stretches his arms and tilts his head on both sides, cracking the clogged veins. He mechanically enters the shower room and cleans himself, coming out with a pair of black slacks and a loosely buttoned blue polo shirt, a long white coat slinging on his left arm together with a towel.

"Law? Are you awake?" A single knock from his father comes in shyly. Law thinks that he didn't have to do that, he can hear him coming from the sound of bones hitting the floorboards together with a series of groans in pain. 

Law shakes his head slowly, smiling faintly at the situation. He wipes his hair with the towel before opening the door to meet the sight of Cora- _san_ 's chest. The door frame is not high enough to accommodate his height, making everything ridiculous every morning. 

"Hi, Law! Good morning!" Cora- _san_ cranes his body to the side to wave happily at Law, beaming brightly as he does so. He promptly steps sidewards to give way for Law. 

"Morning, Cora _-san_ ," he walks together with the insanely tall man who has to constantly bow to avoid the low beams and light bulbs on the ceiling. 

"I didn't know you went home last night! I was busy-"

"Sleeping," Cora pauses, taken aback. "It's okay, Cora- _san_. I leave the house early, anyways." 

Law continues to walk through the hallway to climb down the staircase. Cora slumps his shoulders before following him. 

"Didn't get enough sleep?" The blonde man smiles knowingly, elbowing him gently. 

He purses his lips to a thin line, "It's the most I've got since I was 12, Cora- _san._ I'm fine," Law elbows back, quickening his pace to head to the dining table where he smells the relaxing aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Cora- _san_ really knows what uplifts Law the most, as he turns around to give him a thankful smile. 

Cora chuckles, hiding his wide smile behind his hand. "Glad to know, little bean."

Law stops in mid sip to frown at him. "Stop calling me that!"

It's been ages and Law is not a child anymore, but Cora still calls him cute nicknames just to tease him. He's also an idiot for always getting irked whenever Cora does so. Perhaps, he likes seeing the person he grew to know as his father smile joyfully. He knows he deserves it. 

As Law takes another sip, he notices how empty the house suddenly feels, like something yellow and loud is missing. He snaps his head to Cora's direction and asks, "Where's Sanji?" 

The change in expression and demeanour from Cora- _san_ is astounding. He went from bright and bubbly to a total wreck and nervous for some unknown reason. It is the only time Law noticed the dark bags lining Cora's eyes, and his erratic sounding heartbeat threatening to explode in his chest. The sight quickly puts Law anxious as well, his brows furrowing. 

"Oh… I've been wondering as well," Cora starts to pace and bite his nails. 

"Why? He hasn't come home?" Law walks towards his father, the cup of coffee still in his hand. 

Cora breathes in and out, trying to calm himself down. "Okay, well. I couldn't contact you yesterday and the night before that because you were very busy."

Law nods slowly. Indeed, he was too preoccupied with a handful of surgeries the past few days that he wasn't able to call back home nor check his phone. 

"A-and," Cora _-san_ pulls his phone from his pocket, "not a single text since he went away with his sister last _last_ night." 

"Sister?" 

"Right? I didn't know! He said he'd explain everything later and I've been waiting for him since then!" Cora groans and slaps a hand on his face. "I'm so worried, Law!" 

Law glares at nothing in particular and huffs, pulling his phone to contact Sanji. He is redirected to the voicemail, meaning that either Sanji's phone is deliberately off, or out of battery. Either way, he doesn't seem to want to be contacted and worrying just strains the heart. 

"He'll go home when he's ready, Cora- _san._ It seems to me that he's got a problem of his own and remember," Law looks at Cora straight in the eyes, "this has already happened once." 

Cora appears to calm down a bit. "You're right…" he glances to the side before exclaiming, "but if he doesn't go home tonight, I'd report him missing!" 

Law rolls his eyes. "Cora- _san_ , leave him be. He's already an adult," he almost whined which would have invalidated his claims. 

Thankfully, Cora doesn't argue anymore and chose to settle down. Like Law has said, Sanji disappeared once to go back to the burnt down restaurant and find a notebook. He and Cora were distressed searching for him and sooner found him there. Law thinks that whatever is that Sanji is going through, he'll get through it and go back home. 

Law bids Cora goodbye, as he rides his bright yellow sedan car to work. Sanji once said it catches too much attention and it looks expensive and unnecessary. Law shuts him up by pointing out the existence of Sanji's luxury motor bike. It makes them fair, having their own little obsession. Law had his heart and eyes on the car for so long that when he obtained it, he named the car, _Polar Tang._

It's seven thirty in the morning and Law is yawning as he traverses the busy Guri highway. The highway has eight lanes, four lanes in northbound and the remaining four in southbound, where he currently is. He takes the innermost lane beside the center island filled with cherry blossom trees in different hues. Spring is almost over, yet the trees are still blooming with colorful flowers, making the road pleasing to drive at. 

Structures of different heights and purpose lined the roadside, their glass windows glinting with the sunlight. He takes a peek at the clear blue sky with a large bird-like object swirling. It seems to be a hand glider manned by someone which is now about to crash. Law shakes that off, thinking it's one of his hallucinations. There is no way a person would do _that_ in a bustling city, until…

"Oh, _shit!_ " Law gapes as said insanity _crashes_ right on his damn windshield, cracking the thick glass on the spot where the crazy person's head is. Law quickly steps on the brake, halting Polar Tang in a loud screech, her tires leaving marks of burnt rubber on the asphalt road. 

The moron slides down his windshield, across the bumper until he drops on the ground all with his stupid bat wing props. Law pants, still dumbfounded on the entire situation. Other vehicles stop around him and most are curious to what happened as people start to circle his car, muttering their thoughts on the situation. Their annoying voices make him uncomfortable, but they effectively put his mind back to place. 

Law grabs his kit from the backseat and swiftly goes out of Polar Tang. He pushes some people out of his way as he kneels beside the idiot. 

"What did he do?"

"Did he crash on the car?"

"No, I think he hit him."

"Should we call an ambulance?"

Law _tried_ not to listen to what they are saying but they are too loud and annoying. He clenches his jaws before glaring at each of them, as if scanning them. "I'm a doctor. He's safe with me, so please give us some space," he says lowly before the idiot groans once in pain. 

Law instinctively goes to the moronic patient. "Can you move? Stand? Where does it hurt?" He proceeds to take off the wooden defective equipment off of him, starting with the straps around his shoulders and arms and then his hips. He checks his head and eyes the trail of blood from the top of it, rolling down to his temple. 

The idiot looks at him, his smile sheepish and apologetic. "Sorry, I kind of messed up."

The sounds around them muted, Law stares back at the moron's round and dark eyes, hearing how their heartbeats dance together. Both pound loudly, until Law realizes he has to take care of him. 

"That's not important now!" Law clicks his tongue and opens his emergency kit, pulling a roll of bandages from it. He is nervous for some reason, as he almost drops the item. That can't be, he shouldn't lose his composure. 

Clenching his fist, he quickly proceeds to tie the bandage around the moron's face and then around his forehead, making sure to put enough pressure to slow the bleeding down. The injury is at the side of the skull, so the gauze should be tight around those parts. "Hey, how are you feeling?" Law asks, looking over his complexion. He doesn't seem to be hurt, nor the injury on his head is serious. The doctor sighs inwardly, as the stupid guy just gives another smile. 

"I'm okay! I can even stand, see?" The moron does as he says, though it was futile since he appears wobbly. Anyways, Law can't just let him be, he has to make sure he's okay. By the amount of blood, there has to be a deeper wound that needs stitches. 

Law keeps his reaction blank, picking up his things as he leads the idiot in his car. He thinks that he doesn't need to call the ambulance since he's almost there, just a few more blocks to go. 

Once Law is behind the wheel and Luffy has settled on the shotgun seat, the people that nitpicked stand _still_ in front of the car, their gazes suspicious. To drive them off, he makes sure to hold the wheel showing his fingers that say "D E A T H". They get the message, and go back to their cars and business. He even has to press the horn for them to make way, the idiots. If one of them were to be confined in the hospital, he'll make sure to take them as his patient. He's twisted that way. 

Law huffs and starts the car quickly, running at the speed of fifty kilometers per hour, swerving expertly along the traffic. He prides himself in his driving skills and has Cora's approval of it, since his dad can be clumsy most of the time. He's a lot better in driving than Sanji; not that the latter would admit it loudly. 

From his right side, the idiot little guy fumbles with the remains of the broken hand glider, throwing the useless pieces to the car's backseat. _The insolence…_ Law's grip to the wheel tightens. 

"Oi… what-"

"Phew!" The kid sighs loudly, the creases in his forehead from his recent stress disappearing. "I thought it got broken, too!" Moronic patient turns to him with another of his beams. 

Law gives him a firm glance, before looking at the item he is holding. It seems to be a hand-held videocamera, and there is a slight dent on its lens. This idiot might be taking videos of his crazy adventures, too, like those lunatics on the internet. The doctor has to frown. He chooses not to ask him about it, as he surely has a lot to say. Law apparently hates talking. He instead chooses to take the professional path.

"Hey, who's your guardian? I need to know a name so you can be discharged after your treatment," he says, eyes on the road. 

"Guardian?" The moron tilts his head. 

"Someone who takes care of you," _moron,_ he wanted to add. 

"Ahh!" The little guy makes a short laugh, his demeanour never changing a bit, even with Law's cold approach. Usually, people are taken aback and label him impolite. Either this guy is insensitive, or he is just stupid. 

"Like a brother?" Law doesn't answer, nor made a gesture to confirm anything. 

"Then it's Ace! My big brother! I live with him, so he can be called for that, right?" For some reason, Law is compelled to look at him to see another beam. Doesn't he run out of smiles to show? 

Law turns away and sighs. "Yes. I need his full name," the doctor purses his lips. He thinks he has to know the guy's name instead of calling him as moron in his head, "and yours as well," it is also essential for the whole protocol thing, anyways. 

"My big brother's name is Portgas D. Ace," the little idiot leans a little forward, and that's the time Law notices that he has a straw hat tied behind his head with a thin string, the hat looking worn out with its red ribbon fading of the color. _Huh. Peculiar._

"And mine is Luffy! Monkey D. Luffy!" 

_Luffy. In a straw hat._ Law stops the urge to smirk. This little guy is rather interesting. The straw hat is definitely _something_ , like it speaks a lot about the wearer. He figures that it has witnessed more of his insanity, being the paragliding one of it. Also, another _D,_ such as himself. His biological father told him a lot about those fellows who carry the same initial. He said they are quite special, but Law thinks of it as a burden. 

"You see that crack at the corner of my windshield?" Law points at the upper right corner of the glass. The crack spans at around twelve inches from the center, the main crack branching shorter others around the impact point. It's rather annoying to look at, and he figures it has to be gone sooner. 

Straw hat nods. "On normal days, I don't encounter lunatics that hand glides in the city and crashes onto me," the moron laughs, and Law furrows his brows before continuing, "so I want you to pay for the damages you made, _after_ the treatment," he makes necessary gestures as he tells him so. "Does that sound fair?" Law looks at him shortly, catching a serious look from him. Little guy seems to be thinking, and Law changes some of his impressions of him. 

Luffy looks ahead, eyes determined with a confident smile on his lips. "It does! I really didn't mean to break your car, and if I only need to pay, then I'm okay!" 

Law snorts. Straw hat really is some idiot. He isn't sure if he can afford to pay for the damages, but since he says he will, then why not? Law is inconvenienced and has to use the public transportation for now until the crack is fixed. It's a fair trade. "That's good, then." 

The hospital can now be seen, so Law picks up his phone and calls his trusty co-workers, saying to prepare things for him before he arrives. Bepo, a new nurse in the hospital and Shachi, a senior nurse. Both are his long-time friends, who have been with him through thick and thin like his family. Peng, a medical technologist, is also a part of their little circle, but they say he's busy that time. He mostly works in the laboratory so they seldomly meet but when they do, it's like they've always been together all along. Law treasures them so much he could trade nothing for them, as they're the only ones outside Cora- _san_ and Sanji who accepted him. 

Luffy seems to be intrigued, as Law slipped a smile while talking to his friends. Eyes sparkling, he leans, invading Law's personal space. 

"You know my name, so I have to know yours, too! You're a doctor, right?" Straw hat asks, his high pitched voice sending an uncomfortable surge in Law's mind. It's too friendly, yet familiar, and he doesn't like feeling like it.

"It's Trafalgar Law and yes," his answer is short and curt, just as he likes it. 

"Traga-- fargla? Togara-- Torafa…" 

" _Trafalgar."_

Straw hat groans. "Your name's a mouthful, Torao!"

" _Torao?_ " Law is pretty sure a vein or two of his snapped. "It's Trafalgar! Law is just as fine!"

"I decided! Your name is Torao!"

" _Says who?!_ " 

Only if Law wasn't driving, he would have argued more about how _easy_ a single syllabled name such as _Law_ is pronounced that even babies could speak it coherently. "Trafalgar" isn't even that hard to say, and the problem therefore lies with Straw hat, not his name. "Monkey" is as laughable as it is, which definitely fits him. 

Finally in the hospital after who knows how long, Law pulls over just in front of the two guys waiting in the entrance of the emergency room with a mobile bed in tow. They perk up with the sight of him, arms waving with smiles. 

"Ooh! They're your friends?" Luffy's eyes brighten, elated at the scene. 

"They're nurses, my co-workers," the doctor answers with a blank reaction. He can't go around introducing _his_ friends to _him_ , he's just a patient and their relationship ends after he's discharged. 

Nevertheless, Straw hat isn't phased. It's as if, he's developed immunity in Law's asshole- _ness._

Law clicks Straw hat's door open just as he goes out of the car, receiving the clipboard from Bepo, who has a shy smile on his face, his fluffy and curly white hair slightly covering his eyes. "Here, captain." 

"No signs of cerebral concussion. He might just be sturdy, but significant blood is lost. This patient needs stitches," Law stares back at the two of them, who has been looking at him weirdly the past few seconds. "What are you two looking at?" 

Shachi flinches, his gaze flipping from Law to the moron going out of the car and looking around as if sightseeing. "Eh, nothing, Law-bear," he pales at Law's deathly glare, "I-I mean, captain." 

"Take the patient inside! _Now!_ " Law can't believe he has to shout before these two move. Bepo apologizes incessantly, as he helps Shachi assist Straw hat. It took them longer than necessary to convince the moron to _sit_ on the bed so he won't lose more blood. On the other hand, Law hurries to park the car in the designated spot before rushing to the emergency center. 

Shachi is waiting for him at the entrance, as Law wears his white working coat. "Bepo's undressing the wound and currently cleaning it," Shachi says, adjusting the rim of his glasses. 

"Good. Is the CT scan ready?" 

"Yes, we've made a reservation. Also, Law," Shachi places a palm on his shoulder, effectively stopping him from walking. 

"How did you encounter that kid? I saw the crack in your windshield," Shachi shrugs, tapping the tip of the pen on the clipboard he's been holding. 

There it is, the explanation part he hates the most. Sighing, he turns to Shachi, "He was handgliding and crashed onto me. I didn't hit him, if that's what you're worried about." 

Shachi grimaces. "Does he have a few loose screws?" 

Law looks ahead, eyes steeled, "That's what we're gonna find out. For now, contact a 'Portgas D. Ace'. He's the patient's guardian."

"Roger that."

They head to the CT scan room where Law meets Luffy once more. He's greeted by a wide smile and loud voice. 

"Oi! Torao!" 

Law pushes him down firmly back on the bed, his brows furrowed. "Quiet down, will you?" He hisses and thankfully the kid shuts up, but not before expressing his curiosity. 

"Where are we going?"

"Gonna check if you have hemorrhage," _and brain damage_ , he badly wants to add, but it's too offensive, even for him. 

Straw hat is unbelievably docile in the entire process and has the gall to laugh at certain images shown to him in the scan. He's really simple-minded, and Law doesn't like handling people like him. They have the tendency to overwhelm him, and he has enough of that in his life. Cora- _san_ is already too much. 

The result of the scan came in quickly and shows no other serious damage. Everything is clean, and the only injury he has is the one in his left temple which happened to cut a large blood vessel, tracing along the side of the skull around an inch long. It's going to need at least four stitches. 

Currently in the ward, Law prepares to work on Luffy and wears a pair of rubber gloves, his eyes never leaving the cleaned up wound. "You're lucky you didn't crack your skull or anything, Straw hat-ya." He says as he picks up the necessary items. 

Luffy chuckles, glancing at him. "I'm lucky I crashed onto you or I would have really gotten it today!" 

Law scoffs, and swiftly gives him a shot of the anesthesia, surprising his patient a bit. Luffy doesn't ask and that's alarming because it means he knows what it is which also _means_ that he's used to this. "You're an idiot, you know?" Law can't help but comment. 

Straw hat laughs, making the other patients look at their direction. Law only glares at him in apprehension. 

"Why did you do that, anyways?" Law starts on stitching, standing from his seat as he does so, his forehead creased. 

"Heh, for fun! I run a WeTube account and I got this dare from a subscriber!"

 _Figures._ Law's face paints a look of exasperation. 

"I've done other requests as well including sky diving, parkour, climbing a building, catching bears, race with a spot-billed duck and many more!"

Law's blood pressure rises. "I assume you had more serious injuries than this."

"I dislocated my hip once and I couldn't walk for weeks!" Luffy gestures dramatically. "It was the worst!"

"Like any other near death experiences, Straw hat-ya." Law is almost done and is in the dressing part now. 

Luffy suddenly turns to him, messing up his clean work of putting a tape on his wound dressing. "Again, I _reaaalllyy_ didn't mean to ruin your car!" 

Law clicks his tongue and pushes Luffy's head back to position so he can fix the dressing. "It's fine. At least my car saved you from certain death." 

The kid blinks and after a few seconds of silence, he guffaws. Gladly, Law is done from his work. "You're hilarious, Torao!" 

Law glares at him, picking his things up. "Am not." 

"I don't want another examination!" Suddenly, a man around his thirties screams from one of the beds in the ward, who also pushes a nurse to the floor. It causes a commotion at the corner, cutting off Law and Luffy's conversation as both turn to the noise. 

The people around wear expressions of concern as the nurse tries to stand up, shaken at her patient's behavior. Law doesn't really want to meddle but at the time, he is the only doctor available so he goes to them and helps the nurse up her feet. 

"You!" The patient walks to him, eyes narrowed and fists clenched. "You're a doctor, you're just gonna rip me off of my money, aren't you? Taking me to multiple examinations and diagnose me of all disease you could think of! This is your method of capitalism!" 

Law doesn't look at him and his height helps. He's a lot taller than the man, so ignoring him is easy. "Give me his chart," he tells the nurse who quickly gives him the file. 

"You have suspected liver cirrhosis. So far you've taken one examination from a general physician and been referred to a specialist," Law hands back the clipboard before looking at the man. "It's a prerogative, sir. This is all part of the protocol every medical institution follows. Don't take your anger out at our staff. If you have problems with the system, complain to the health department," he turns away and meets Luffy's look of awe until he is forced to turn back with the recent patient by pulling his shoulder, catching him off guard. The furious patient then punches him right at his jaw, throwing his balance off. 

Everybody in the ward is surprised, as Law's head is turned to his side, his eyes hidden by his hair. He stands there at the same position as he's punched, unmoving. 

"Asshole! Just because you're a fucking doctor would you talk to me like that! Admit it that your work is just a business to you!" The man pushes his chest with a hand, making him take a step back. Law hears Luffy shuffle from his seat, yelling at the attacker. 

"Business?" Law still doesn't lift his gaze as he chuckles lowly. "You're right about it being a business, but if you truly wish to not be treated…" he raises his head with a dangerous grin, together with his clenched fist and flings a swing at the man's temple, throwing the patient to the ground and knocking him unconscious, "... _get out of my sight_!" 

Gasps fill the entire room as soon as he throws the blow before other hospital staff shortly arrive, some tending to the fallen patient. Bepo is one of them who quickly checks up on him. 

"Captain? Are you okay? What happened?" Bepo reaches for the sore spot in Law's face and the doctor quickly shakes his hand off. He is far too pissed to handle anything and decides to cool off. Bepo gives him his space and sets himself aside. 

Straw hat is still looking at him, though he looks paralysed, eyes widened and mouth open, as if he's surprised. No wonder there. It's quite unheared of a doctor who punches their patient. Law doesn't go to him and instead gives a gesture to Bepo to attend to him for a while. For sure, after that, he's going to get a rough scolding from Doctor Kureha, so he will prepare himself for that.

Right at the entry way, is a quite frazzled man, his face heavily smeared with dark ash. He's wearing a surprised expression and is also gaping at him who oddly resembles Law's patient. Aside from that, he has the full gear of a firefighter, the protective headwear in his arm. Law gives him a short blank stare and proceeds out, having no time for additional bullshit. Just in time, a general announcement is made calling all doctors available in the emergency room. With no hesitation, Law tugs on his collar and runs. Cries of pain are too overwhelming to ignore. 

As he distractedly replaces his gloves, Law doesn't notice the significant ring-shaped light around his left ring finger, turning to amber yellow from pearly white as he hurries to the rushed patient. 

__________ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HaHA ok law is seriously like luffy once in a while


	3. Free fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luffy does a little adventure and discovers more.

_Chapter 2: Free fall_

_190603_

_7:36 am_

It is a great day; the warm, late spring breeze softly touches his skin like the thin blankets he used to cuddle back when he and his brothers were in Dadan's care. Enough to let his emotions ride in high, Luffy ㅡ all equipped with makeshift handglider that resembles a bat's wings which is all Usopp's rushed handiwork ㅡ stretches his arms, inhaling the fresh, morning wind with a beam that rivals the sun in front of him. 

His wings catch the wind, almost strong enough to topple his balance, and it all makes the surge in him stronger. Wild ideas run in his head about the thought of flying and once he overheard Usopp of his project, he insisted on making one for him. Some random WeTube subscriber suggests the same idea to him, and he utilizes it as a chance to realize his vision. 

His current upbeat mood helped a lot in pushing on the idea, as if something awesome is gonna come after being able to glide in the air, feeling all free. 

Luffy looks below, his black, wildly fluttering hair cushioning his beloved straw-weaved hat. His round eyes reflect the sunlight for a moment as if it was a glint from them as he huffs, preparing for descent. The busy cars of all types are waiting for him below, but all are not worthy of his fear. He has more dangerous ideas in line (and he'll try them in time).

The guy prepares, running back and trailing the same path forward to gain a momentum before he let the fate of his life all in the hands of the wind. 

Luffy exclaimed a guffaw, unsteadily navigating the shaky equipment. The blinking sound from the camera attached to the belt over his torso cannot be heard now, as the loud whooshing of the violent wind attacks his ears. 

His ride is getting more unruly, and Luffy is starting to worry. He is also nearing the ground, as his glider leads him in a spiral downwards path in the air. 

"Oh, _sh-_ " Sabo will definitely scold him for muttering a curse word, but that isn't important because Luffy is now _deadly crashing_ right towards the cold, hard ground. He lets out a bloodcurling scream, his limbs all over him as the cruel wind slams him against a solid surface, which is less likely to be the ground of certain death. 

Luffy first hears a deafening screech in his ears after his head cracks what appears to be a fiber glass window of a car. He feels nothing for a short moment until his body drops gently on the ground. 

_This_ isn't obviously a good idea. People have gotten curious and some even bother to go out their rides. Luffy _can't_ pay them mind, he is busy feeling dizzy. 

A strong smell of antiseptic assaults his sensitive nose, yet it is calming for some reason. Along with that scent, lies a soft fragrance of lavender. Refreshing, Luffy can further describe, and for some odd reason, familiar. 

The daredevil can yet raise his head, and he can only see somebody's long legs. The person with a cool lavender scent kneels down beside him. Luffy quickly formulates some sort of excuse, as he doesn't want to be an inconvenience. He knows this person isn't an asshole, and it makes him feel like a total jerk for bothering him. 

He has a deep, penetrating voice, yet has a smooth flow in it, seeming like frost slowly creeping on a surface. Luffy likes how he sounds, though, the stranger can always loosen up. 

"Can you move? Stand? Where does it hurt?" Luffy watches as the tall stranger proceeds removing his equipments off of him. 

He's been regarded to be good at reading people. Luffy knows who to trust the first time he meets them. This stranger, with his intense amber eyes locked at whatever he is doing, is radiating a familiar yet mysterious feel. His hair is noticeably messy, though there has been a hint of minor effort in fixing it. He has two golden loops for each ear, his hands inked with a set of peculiar tatoos. He says he's a doctor, a respect he can quickly give. 

A smile is easily pulled off, though Luffy does so rather awkwardly. "Sorry, I kind of messed up." 

The straw-hatted guy locks eyes with the doctor-stranger, and time seems to stop. A scent of warm sunflower oil mixed with cool lavender wafts between them, the winds blowing the pink sakura blossoms to rain upon them. Only when the doctor's expression scrunched has their staring cut off. 

_A mystery,_ Luffy concludes. This is an encounter he will remember forever, like how he met with his brothers and trusted friends. He wants to know _more_ about this guy, now. 

"That's not important now!" The tall stranger hurries to get his things, and Luffy remembers Chopper for a short while, who is passionate about becoming a doctor. He keeps still as the person tends to his wound, and that is the only time Luffy notices the blood. That can't be good. 

"Hey, how are you feeling?" The doctor person asks, lifting Luffy's mood to the highest. 

"I'm okay!" He seems too worried, and Luffy wants to change that. "I can even stand, see?" Doing so kind of disproved his point, with his legs betraying him by being shaky. 

So Luffy is indeed quite injured, and he can't just go home when he practically broke the doctor's windshield. He has to settle that, at least, and come with him for a treatment. The straw-hatted guy follows him into his car, ignoring all the prying eyes. They all smell repulsive, sour with suspicion and baseless judgments. He doesn't like people like that. The doctor seems to be in the same boat as he. 

Once seated on the shotgun and had the car run, Luffy suddenly remembers his body camera. It is expensive! Nami might sue him again for denting its lens. He fumbled with the bothersome straps of the wings and throws them at the back, freeing the digital camera. 

Luffy sighs in relief, cutting off whatever the person was about to say a while ago. "I thought it got broken, too!" He can always talk his way with Usopp and forgive him for destroying his prototype, but Nami isn't exactly the forgiving type. He's seen enough of Zoro's suffering for him to fear her. 

The guy has seen how everything happened, so he thinks that he doesn't have to explain a lot. He gives him a beam after seeing the camera, hoping that he'd ask about it. 

"Hey, who's your guardian?" Luffy visibly deflates, and luckily, the doctor wasn't looking. "I need to know a name so you can be discharged after your treatment."

"Guardian?" Luffy asks twice, reviewing his mental dictionary. _What was it again?_ He tilts his head in contemplation. 

"Someone who takes care of you." 

For a moment there, the stranger emitted a bitter smell of annoyance. That fact flies off of Luffy's mind after understanding. "Ahh!" He loosely laughs, "Like a brother?" He _knew_ he's heard of this word. He just encountered it last week after beating up a big fat bully and ended with swollen lips. 

"Then it's Ace! My big brother! I live with him, so he can be called for that, right?" Luffy naturally smiles widely. The bitter smell is replaced with the relaxed flowery one, which he likes better. 

"Yes. I need his full name," this stranger has been sighing a lot, Luffy wants to ask why so, but there's a time for that, "and yours as well."

That's a question he loves to answer. "My big brother's name is Portgas D. Ace," if he had a tail, Luffy would have been wagging it right now. "And mine is Luffy! Monkey D. Luffy!" Now, they're more than strangers.

The straw-hatted guy then follows his finger's direction, "You see that crack at the corner of my windshield?" 

It seems to be a bad crack. It's longer than a hand span, and it might cost a lot. He nods absentmindedly, thinking of how to get a loan from Nami which doesn't cost his soul or something. 

"On normal days, I don't encounter lunatics that hand glide in the city and crashes onto me," the description deems fitting for their situation and Luffy can't help but laugh. The doctor gave him a look after doing so, which fueled the hilarity of it. 

"So I want you to pay for the damages you made, _after_ the treatment. Does that sound fair?" 

Nami might definitely be a bad choice, since her rates are above the roof. Zoro is penniless, which leaves him with Franky, who earns quite a lot. Though, it isn't like _he can't_ earn his own money. Summer vacation is slowly creeping, which means he would have time to find some work to earn some. 

Luffy postures with conviction, a determined smile on his lips, "It does! I really didn't mean to break your car, and if I only need to pay, then I'm okay!"

There is an uncharacteristic snort before the doctor replied, "That's good, then." 

A welcomed silence hangs between them until a beeping of a phone catches their attention. The doctor puts in his earpiece, talking to some people in the other line. Those persons appear significant, for the doctor to respond to them freely and even with a soft smile. He must be talking with his friends, and Luffy very well knows how that feels.

Lately, he and Zoro met a severely wounded person who recovered quickly and Luffy flawlessly befriended. He's a great cook who also seems to be under some turmoil after being left like that at the middle of the road. He forgot to ask for his name, though he has time for that later. Luffy can't let this new stranger be a stranger forever. 

"You know my name, so I have to know yours, too! You're a doctor, right?" Said doctor flinches with the distance, and Luffy inches a little farther because of that. 

"It's Trafalgar Law and yes."

 _Tora-what? Tiger?_ "Traga-- fargla? Togara-- Torafa…" He can't pronounce it, it's annoying!

" _Trafalgar._ "

Luffy groans and gives up on saying the name out loud. A nickname sounds a lot better. "Your name's a mouthful, Torao!"

" _Torao?_ " Torao appears to be in the brink of a meltdown. "It's Trafalgar! Law is just as fine!"

"I decided! Your name is Torao!" 

" _Says who?_ "

This is such a joy, as Torao is able to make him laugh. Well, _anything_ can do so, but this humor is somehow refreshing, considering that he is in a good mood since he woke up. 

Within a few short minutes, they've arrived in a huge hospital complex. Luffy tries to look for its name to confirm that this is where Chopper is going. He hasn't been in this hospital because Ace thinks it's too expensive for them to afford. A minor treatment costs his brother's salary for a month, so Luffy settled on the University's clinic which is free. 

Two people are already waiting for them, their smiles wide and arms raised. They have to be Torao's friends and they're significantly chipper than the doctor beside him. 

"Ooh! They're your friends?" Luffy waves at them, though he isn't certain if they saw him. 

"They're nurses, my coworkers," Torao answers indignantly, though Luffy has long understood that people can't always be open arms with friendship. The chef friend is an example of that, for he is too private about himself. Not that Luffy minds, everyone has their secrets. He doesn't need to know everything. A friend is still a friend, anyways. 

Torao opens the door and afterwards slips outside to meet with one of his nurses-friends. Luffy takes the time to look around the huge complex, as if it's a village in itself. Tall, sparkly buildings stood before him as if they're trying to reach for the clouds. Ambulances arrive almost each second to drop a patient, and the staff would expertly manage them. Trees of different kinds line the center of the way, tracing the path to the entrance and around the complex. It indeed stands to be the most prestigious hospital in Grandline, with its landscape jaw-dropping. He wouldn't wonder why Chopper dreams to work here. 

Torao's white haired friend approaches him, timid with his movements. He smells like vanilla ice cream, sweet and friendly to Luffy's impression. The other one with a cool weird whale hat moves more confidently, yet with hurry, his scent more mixed and complicated compared to the shy vanilla guy. He's like the sea breeze, salty and steady but can be sweet, too, like coconuts. He gives off a carefree impression, and must be a good pillar for Torao. 

"Hello, sir. Can you please sit on the bed so we can proceed with your treatment?" The shier one says, presenting the bed to him. 

"It's the doctor's orders," the whale guy taps his back gently, as Luffy complies slowly, still looking around. He only took off his eyes when Torao moves his car somewhere. Luffy can't help but follow its line of sight. Will he see him again?

"Is your friend okay?" Luffy asks them as they lead him inside. 

They appear taken aback, looking at each other before at Luffy. Whale guy responds first with an uncertain hum. "Hm, that's his normal state, I would say yes." 

"Shachi!" The white one shushes, placing a finger in front of his plump lips. "Don't talk casually with the patient!" He then turns to Luffy, bowing his head, "Sorry, please excuse him." 

Shachi scoffs and touches his glasses, "Come on, Bepo. It doesn't hurt to socialize every once in a while. Besides, Law-bear is uptight enough," Luffy laughs at that. For some reason, his reaction picks the curiosity of Torao's friends. 

It has been awkwardly silent after that, but Luffy is still bubbly as ever. He asks random questions about the hospital and their work until they reach the ward and Shachi goes off to do something. Bepo, the fluffy haired guy is cautious around Luffy as if he's walking on thin ice. 

"He-hello. Let me remove these," Bepo hesitantly pulls the white cloth around his head. He appears shaky but his hands are perfectly still. He's an interesting person.

"It's Luffy, and okay!" Luffy says, smiling at him, hoping to let him feel more at ease. 

"Can I ask something, Luffy- _san_?" The nurse quietly says, dipping a cotton ball on the antiseptic before gently tapping it around the wound on his head. 

"Of course! What is it?" Luffy sits with his legs crossed on the bed, wrinkling his nose at the smell of the entire place. 

"How did you meet Doctor Trafalgar?" 

Luffy smiles, "Ah, Torao? I just crashed on his car when I jumped off of a building this early morning."

Bepo significantly stops, as if he got an error. "Huh?" 

"Right?" Luffy laughs, turning some heads in the ward. "I was trying to use this glider that my friend made, but I made a mistake and crashed. It wasn't Torao's fault, though, and I'd pay for his car." 

Bepo recovers and continues cleaning the bloody wound which now stopped bleeding. "You actually did that?" 

The straw-hatted boy nods with a grin, "Yep!" 

"Why?" Bepo sounds horrified, yet completely curious as well. 

"It's fun! I won't do that again. It's too risky."

The nurse sighs loudly. "That's a relief. I'm surprised you're… not dead…" The last words fall silently, but Luffy doesn't miss a beat. 

"Me too! Torao saved me, I'm grateful," indeed, if Torao didn't happen to be there at that moment, he would really have died. The thought scares him, but he doesn't regret it because through it he met a potential friend. 

Luffy waits for a few minutes before Bepo says they have to go to some room. The fluffy haired guy explains that it is a room where they would scan his brain. That sounds cool, but what caught his attention is that he'll meet Torao there. 

Just as the bear-looking guy said, Torao is there. Luffy enthusiastically waves, his smile face-splitting. "Oi! Torao!" 

Torao holds him down and shushes him, "Quiet down, will you?"

Luffy stays still as required, but he can't just be quiet and not ask. "Where are we going?" 

"Gonna check if you have hemorrhage."

The scanning thing ends quickly and they are back in the ward. He doesn't really understand anything and everything Torao says just vanishes in the air as soon as he finished. Luffy just nods along, until Torao and his friend lead him back to the ward. 

"You're lucky you didn't crack your skull or anything, Straw hat-ya." 

The coincidence starts to sound scraped, like an untuned guitar. The encounter is more than that! "I'm lucky I crashed onto you or I really would've gotten it today!" He _saved_ him, it's such a big deal! Torao has to know that.

Torao only scoffs in response and pulls a syringe. _That_ Luffy very much knows. The nurses in the University use that frequently when they have to treat a more serious wound from him. It makes the arms feel numb and overall not feel the pain. He doesn't need it, but he always lets them do it anyway. Chopper has told him what it's called, but the name sounds too sciencey, so he forgets it easily. 

"You're an idiot, you know?" Fondly, Torao says and the laugh from Luffy slips out freely. He receives a glare for his loud reaction, though.

"Why did you do that, anyway?" The first stitch starts and Law has to concentrate enough for him to stand up. 

_Finally_ , Luffy get to talk about what he loves doing. "Heh, for fun! I run a WeTube account and got this dare from a subscriber! I've done other requests as well including sky diving, parkour, climbing a building, catching bears, race with a spot-billed duck and many more!" Luffy does the necessary gestures, wildly stretching his arms. 

"I assume you had more serious injuries than this."

 _Spot on!_ Those ones aren't the fun part. "I dislocated my hip once and I couldn't walk for weeks!" Gladly, Pineapple _-ossan_ helped him. "It was the worst!"

"Like any other near death experiences, Straw hat-ya." Torao has light hands, soft and gentle with his work. 

Luffy remembers Torao's broken car! He has to talk to him about that and apologize again. He turns his head to look at him in the eyes, conveying his sincerity. "Again, I _reaaalllyy_ didn't mean to ruin your car!"

Torao clicks his tongue and pushes his head forward, as Luffy ruined his work with the wound dressing. "It's fine. At least my car saved you from certain death."

Truly, Torao is awesome. He knows that he's the reason Luffy's safe, and the way he said it made him lose it. Luffy guffaws. "You're hilarious, Torao!' 

Even when he is picking up his things, Torao didn't miss giving Luffy a glare. "Am not."

Suddenly, a commotion breaks in the ward. Everyone, including he and Torao, looks at where the noise is from. A nurse is pushed on the floor, and sour retch of fear comes out from her and the others around. 

The people are concerned, while the enraged patient keeps on getting even angrier. The reason, Luffy doesn't know. He doesn't really want to know, either, but Torao has felt responsible for it. Luffy chooses to observe, and act later in case he ruins Torao's workplace. He watches as Torao argues with the man about how the healthcare system works. The man is rude, though he smells really sick as well. Luffy stares in awe with the way Torao handles the situation expertly and calmly, but he senses a little contempt from him. It can't be helped, Luffy understands. 

What surprised Luffy was when the jerk man suddenly pulls Torao and gives him a strong punch _and_ Luffy feels the same blow, which toppled the doctor's balance. It freezes Luffy all over, staring at Torao. The asshole doesn't seem to want to stop, and he's even intending to push Torao in a corner. Luffy doesn't like it. "Oi! Stop it, jerk!" 

Torao suddenly speaks lowly, sending a quick shrilling cold around. His scent suddenly explodes in a flurry, mostly hot in his nose which indicates aggression. The doctor thoughtlessly throws his fist right at the jerk's temple, effectively shutting up the man and knocking him unconscious on the floor. 

What he has witnessed is _unbelievable._ He is seldomly flustered, as Luffy can accept anything however weird they may be. Though, the usually composed but silly person now stares at _nowhere_ , trying hard to comprehend his situation. He doesn't even notice that Torao has left, still baffled at the situation.

Torao, the doctor! Luffy _knows_ he is special by the time he had first seen him. He felt something indescribable ㅡ was he hungry? ㅡ and settled on defining it as a _"mystery"_. When Torao got punched, Luffy felt the blow exactly when he did. It was when the boy's whole world seemed to have stopped.

The smell of singed skin and burnt wood enter his nose, all familiar to Luffy, yet he ignores, still in shock of his realization. He has to be tapped by the fluffy-looking nurse beside him so he can be brought back to reality. 

"Luffy- _san_? Are you feeling alright?" Torao's friend, who has curly white hair that looks like a fluff of cloud stares at him worriedly, his dark round eyes widened. He almost looks like a bear, and he only needs a pair of ears on his head to completely look like it now that he took notice. He helped in bringing Luffy back to the present, who blinks his confusion off. 

Luffy widens his mouth to a bright smile, quickly getting back on track. "Yep!"

There is a sudden gasp from the entrance of the ward, and Luffy has never been this excited to see his brother. He has a big, awesome discovery! 

"Luffy!" Ace runs towards his little brother, worry and relief both painted in his face.

"Ace!" 

The nurse beside Luffy flinches slightly at the exchange, standing awkwardly and unsure how he should act. 

"What in the world happened again?!" Ace asks, as he places his ashy helmet on the white hospital bed, staining the fabric. 

"Like the usual, but a bit special this time!" Luffy chimes, though his mood is broken by Ace's hard pounding on his uninjured side of his head. It made the nurse beside him gasp in horror, while Luffy just whines. 

"What, like _almost dying_? Come on, Luffy, be careful!" Ace is overreacting, he's okay! 

"Why did you have to hit me!" 

Ace suddenly pulls Luffy in a hug, ruffling his hair. "I'm just worried, doof. A guy your age is critical after jumping off the burning building I just responded," Ace pulls away, looking over Luffy. The younger eases his expression and smiles softly, intending to reassure his brother that he's fine. 

"And then I got a call saying _you_ jumped off the building, too!" The firefighter looks at Luffy with disdain, shaking his head. "How was I supposed to think, Luffy?" 

Luffy puffs his cheeks, "I'm _fine_ , Torao saved me!" He gives a smile to Bepo as well, extending his thanks to Torao's friend. 

"Who…?" Visibly confused of the name, Ace furrows his brows. 

Of all the days, this really is one of his most awaited ones. Luffy can't handle the joy and excitement! He giggles a barely stifled laugh, confusing both Ace and Bepo beside him. 

"My soulmate!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeeeeeet. It's always fun to look through Luffy's eyes.


	4. Of Coffee and Straw Hats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law experiences the longest day of his life yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw/ blood, injury and inaccurate surgical operations. :)

_Chapter 3: Of Coffee and Straw Hats_

_190603_

_9:10 am_

Bepo is still in a daze after everything that Luffy- _san_ did. Law has signed the discharge papers early, and the entire process has been smooth. His captain is still in the Trauma Center and is currently attending an emergency surgery. Bepo doesn't have the details, but it should be done after an hour or so. 

Considering all the time he has, he can still sort out his thoughts and come up with a well-planned speech for what has come to the nurse's knowledge. He has to make it simple and concise, since he doesn't want to confuse Law. 

Easier said than done.

Now that Law is overwhelmed with work in his residency, he's easily pissed and it's never pretty. An annoyed Law is the least kind of Law he wants to deal with. 

That's why caution is the key. Captain loves well-thought things and that include complicated stuff, like _soulmates._

Damn, _soulmates._ Gladly, Bepo doesn't have to deal with that kind of problem since his died even before he met them. Bepo's right ring finger has a coal black loop around it, and it's been like that for as long as he remembers. His brother said it meant that his soulmate has died, and Bepo feels bad for a while. He was still a kid back then though, so it really doesn't matter now. 

As Bepo hurriedly fixes the beds in the ward by tucking the sheets under, he quickly picks up a phone, hoping that Shachi or Penguin is available to talk about this predicament. He first presses the nearest person, Shachi. 

Thankfully, he picks up the phone after five rings, and Bepo's heart flips in glee. 

"Shachi!" Bepo almost cries, receiving weird looks from his cowerkers. 

"Oh, why? I'm here in the lounge in front of the psychiatry clinic." Shachi's static voice sounds busy, and Bepo almost wants to apologize in advance. 

"Are you busy? I'll head there now," as he speaks, Bepo walks towards the said place, clipboards in his other arm while the other holds the phone. 

Shachi talks with somebody on the other line, their conversation unclear before coming back to Bepo. "Not actually. What's it about?"

Bepo holds for a bit before entering the lift. "It's about Captain."

Penguin is next on the contact list, who quickly responded just after a ring. He tells Peng to head to the lounge, too and sooner Bepo meets with them. 

"I'm getting bored in the lab, what's all the fuss, Beps?" Peng approaches Bepo from the elevator before the two of them go to the lounging area. 

Shachi sits beside the tall fortune plant, arms slinging on the white sofa. The lounge is undoubtedly the best place in the hospital; the ceiling rises until the roof, a grand chandelier at the center. The main entrance of the hospital is also around there, fairly bustling with patients and health workers alike. The place is wide and pleasant, decorated with hanging plants along the pillars and columns. The structure's facade is a wall of tinted fiber glass, enabling the people inside see what is incoming. It makes working in the hospital a little worthwhile because of this. In fact, their patients love the atmosphere it has. 

Bepo and Peng take the seat beside Shachi, as their eyes focus on the white-haired guy, waiting for him to talk. 

"Did Law stir another trouble?" Shachi snorts, and if it isn't true, Bepo would have been defensive. Since it _is_ true, both his friends look at him nervously. 

Bepo places his palms on his lap, his little habit to relax himself. Peng and Shachi are on his either side, their silence thickening the tension. "Captain punched a patient--" 

"Oh, fuck, _that_ was him?" Penguin slaps a hand on his face, groaning as if in pain. 

" _Why?_ " Shachi pinches the spot between his brows, clearly stressed out. 

It isn't like this happens _every_ time, because the other instances aren't this ugly. Law has a bad reputation, being all snappy and unsocial. He's seen as an asshole in the workplace, and other doctors - even the senior ones - are weary of approaching him. He's denied VIP patients who appeared not sick but just wanted to get a medical certificate so they can dodge the issues thrown at them. _Nobody_ likes Law, but them and Doctorine. The old physician is actually the only one who puts up with Law and excuses him of his frequent troubles in the hospital. The only thing that makes Law stay is his top-notch skill.

But _punching_ a _patient_ didn't even occur to Bepo's wildest thoughts. 

So a Law angry enough to be physical be told that his soulmate is a kid, Bepo is quite sure there would be a nuclear meltdown after. 

Bepo sighs, "I wasn't able to ask him why he did that."

Shachi is almost as old as Law, just eight months younger, so he's the only one who can scold him. However sometimes, he overreacts and joins Law on being edgy and cold. "I'm really disappointed. He might be sued or something."

As if he has some plan, Peng crosses his arms and legs, furrowing his brows. "I don't think he just punched for no reason. He isn't reckless like that!" Peng is the one, aside from Law, who offers great solutions to problems their little circle would encounter. He's a sound voice of reason, but oftentimes brings problems to them, too, for being a playboy. 

"That isn't the only problem, though." At the end of the day, if stubborn heads keep banging, Bepo ultimately steps up and puts them on track. He can call back Law who has ignored basic self-care when stressed, Shachi when he's overanalizing things, and Peng to focus on his work. 

"There is _another_?" Shachi gasps in horror while Peng's face pales. 

Bepo nods slowly, "Remember Luffy _-san_?" 

"Who?" Penguin asks as Shachi answers him. 

"Ah. That crazy kid who crashed on Captain's car and cracked his windshield."

Peng looks confused. "Did he die?" 

Shachi huffs, "Captain has a wild day today. No, he didn't. The kid is okay."

"So…" The white haired starts, poking his finger with the other shyly. He isn't sure how they'd receive the information, but still Bepo has to say it. The thing can't be avoided. 

"Luffy _-san_ is Captain's soulmate…" 

If Shachi and Penguin had been drinking, they would have snorted the liquid and drowned. 

__________ 

_190603_

_4:30 pm_

Frankly, he wants to _die._ He's beyond exhausted as he worked for longer than the promised one hour. He missed lunch, a visit to the comfort room, and his afternoon coffee. 

Apparently, the news about him 'beating up' a patient reached Doctorine, his professor, so she gave him a minor surgery and two major ones as a _'disciplinary action'_. The last patient almost died in his hands because he didn't tell the nurses and doctors that he was taking aspirin - a _fucking_ elementary mistake. Law wanted to tear his hair off that time, but thankfully, Doctorine had blessed hands and was able to salvage everything. 

_Coffee_ is the only thing that can make him feel better now. 

"Oi, Trafalgar." Doctor Kureha places a bloody gloved hand on his shoulder, staining his scrub. He doesn't care; his mind is somewhere else (mainly _coffee_ ).

They just came out of the operation room, both still wearing their masks and the necessary things. "You better take a break for a few days." 

Law hears a high pitched frequency in his ears, making his headache worse. "Why would I do that?" He hisses, pulling down the mask over his mouth as he notices he can't breathe. Is this about the patient he punched a while ago? He expects a scolding, of course, but he didn't think Kureha would really _suspend_ him. She's heard the entire thing, how could she ignore it? 

Doctorine clicks his tongue, "What a hard-headed brat!" She screams, making Law flinch at the noise. The other staff are visually surprised as well, throwing them looks. "Just do it! The upper jerks are having their dirty looks at you already!" 

He scoffs, "They can fuck off." 

"Trafalgar." 

It's not that Law doesn't get the sign. She's mad, that's quite obvious by the way her heart rate shoots up. He can't anger her further or she'll succumb to stroke. "Fine. Fuck them anyways," he takes off the hairnet and his gloves, throwing them at the bin, all while looking at Kureha blankly. 

Law was in his temporary room a while ago and the bed was indeed tempting. Though, he only went there to change from his scrubs to finally have _delicious_ coffee outside this goddamned place. Tomorrow, he won't _breathe_ near this place and the rest is actually welcome to him. _A bit._ He isn't sure, but something tells him that he's better off beating his ass in his overworked schedule than _rest_ in home. 

Anyways, he still has a shift until before midnight so he has all the right to walk around. However, turning off the sounds he hears all over him is quite hard to do, especially that what these people are gossiping about is none other than _himself._

Law puts on the deepest frown he can muster and walks out, having only his wallet in his hand. It's annoying, he even forgot his phone to call Bepo and the others. He almost bumps with a male nurse who's shorter than him and becomes his outlet of frustration. He gives him a glare. "Look at where you're going!" Law hisses, as the nurse furiously apologizes. 

He ignores the pounding of an angry heart from the nurse and instead proceeds to his way. He's angered most of the people, anyways. He's not special. 

Walking for around twenty meters from the hospital complex stands his favorite place in the world - the café. To be honest, he forgot what's it called even though he's been going here for six years now since he started medical school. 

Law pushes the glass door open, the bell chiming softly to alert the baristas and the servers. There are a few people and his favorite spot is unoccupied. It's at the inner corner near the bar and beside the glass wall. The corner has a shelf and wooden divider between that table and the other. The shelf has a few books and an electrical outlet at the lower corner. It's the ideal table for him because it is for one, unlike the other tables which are made for groups or pairs. 

It's the nice, relaxing atmosphere he loves in here. Aside from people who are quiet, the overall _feel_ of the café provides him peace of mind to listen to his thoughts that matter. Nobody bothers him, nobody will instill chaos and he's free to _think._

Law craves some affogatto today. It's sweet, creamy, and cold, a mixture to relax him. He knows he has to eat something first, and as his mind drifts to the thought of a strawberry short cake, his stomach grumbles. He gulps, and heads to the counter with a single goal. 

"A slice of strawberry short cake and affogatto, please," Law stares at the orange-lit pink fluff of goodness behind the confines of the thick glass, and his stomach growls again, this time louder to be heard by others. 

A familiar laugh reaches his ears, and so does the owner's heartbeat. Law raises his head, and staring back at him are large, expressive eyes. 

"Torao!" 

"Straw Hat-ya?" Law's mouth speaks before he thinks of it, his face contorting in confusion. 

_What the hell is this kid doing here?_ Dressed as a cashier, hairnet, black apron and all, Luffy, his patient hours ago, smiles at him happily, waving his hand as he does so. He still has his wound covered, practically flaunting how careless the kid is.

"Yup! I don't have my hat right now, though. How are you?" Luffy leans over the counter, jolly as if he and Law are _close_. They're not even -- they just _met_ for a short time. 

The surgeon scowls, "What are _you_ doing here?" 

"Oh, you know him, Luffy?" Usopp, the barista who Law knows and has been working in the café for some months now comes out from the kitchen. He turns to Law and smiles. 

Luffy turns to Usopp, "He's the doctor I told you."

Law can only lead to one conclusion. "You're friends?" He asks, and if so, he and Luffy will meet more frequently. He isn't sure how to feel after realizing that. 

Usopp and Luffy turns to him at the same time, their expressions too similar. "Yup!" 

"Anyways, Law? The usual?" The long-nosed barista steps forward, with Luffy watching intently. His gaze is mostly at Law and it is making him slightly uncomfortable. 

Law nods, "With Strawberry Short Cake this time."

"Heh, didn't eat, huh?" 

"You didn't eat, Torao? Were you very busy?" Luffy suddenly chimes, his concerned dark eyes too deep to ignore. 

"Yes, _very,_ " he deadpans, flashing a bill and placing it on the counter. In his mild amusement, it is Luffy who picks up the money and places it on the cash register. He still looks sloppy, but he knows the gist of his job. 

As Usopp brews his order, Luffy prods a little. "You shouldn't miss meals, you know. I even heard your stomach!" Usopp snorts and in turn Law blushes in embarrassment. 

"So what? There was an influx of patients today so I had to stretch myself. I didn't die," Law doesn't understand why he has to explain this to Luffy. 

Luffy flares his nostrils, handing him his change. "Even so. I'll bring you lunch if you keep missing meals." 

The doctor almost gasped. "Please don't. I can take care of myself." 

Usopp comes back - _finally_ \- after finishing his orders. He places them on a tray as the smell wafts all over. Luffy drools at the sight, as the long-nosed guy lets out a laugh. "Luffy, this is for the customer, alright? Don't lust over it!" 

"He's right," Law grips the tray with both his hands, tipping his head towards Usopp, a gesture of acknowledgement. 

He walks towards his favorite spot, all happy for himself. As he sits on the comfy seat, he doesn't take his eyes off of the strawberry-filled white cake of diabetes. He doesn't usually order SSC because it's too sweet, and prefers occasional affogatto or latte in normal days, but he thinks he deserves this for today. 

Grabbing the bread knife, he places the toothed blade of the steel as if he's going to open up his patient's chest. He slowly pushes the knife into the cake until it reaches the plate. The cake is soft and fluffy, the strawberry syrup leaking slightly and stains the knife. His stomach growls, and he doesn't waste time and pokes the thing with a fork and places it into his mouth. 

_Godly._ He hates bread, but cake is different from a bland mashed flour and yeast. It is more intricately made, unlike bread which is only kneaded and baked. 

As he lets the taste melt in his mouth, he lets out a low moan of satisfaction, and quickly follows it with another bite. He glances at the bar and sees the two friends talking animatedly at each other. Law doesn't need to concentrate to be able to hear them, and lets their conversation in his ears while he eats. 

"Your finger is lit, right?" Usopp asks. _Lit_? Oh, their conversation is about soulmates. Law scoffs. Pathetic. Who even has time to dwell on that thing? Okay, he might have thought how mysterious of a phenomenon soulmate is, but it is never that quite helpful practically. He understands how people are curious and fantasizing about meeting their fated one, but Law just can't put his heart into it. He can't _feel_ it himself. 

"It's white! Who is it?" The barista adds a question, and for some reason it also sparks Law's curiosity. He sips from his affogatto - _which is heavenly_ \- and tunes in.

Luffy makes excited sounds. "Torao made it light up!" 

Lungs bursting, heart hammering and brain going into a short-circuit. Law chokes on the coffee which just barely reached his throat as the liquid travels to his windpipe then out from his nose shooting like a rocket launch. It's an ugly sight, as his humiliating state turns a lot of heads. 

Including _Luffy's._

Law coughs violently, punching his chest helplessly. This is _fucking embarrassing,_ and Law wants to be swallowed by the ground right now. Luffy runs to him and says something, but they all fell in deaf ears. Ironic, considering he has a cursed strong hearing. The surgeon only hears the loud pounding of his own heart and if this persists for a few moments, he would die. That's actually a great escape. Dying sounds better this time. 

"Oi, Torao! Are you okay?" Luffy helps in patting his back, offering tissues to him in which he desperately grabs. 

Law nods, unable to talk nor face the kid. He sees his table - _a mess_ \- all splattered with coffee. His cake is also stained by that burst, and he feels sad. 

"You were really hungry, huh?" Luffy, without his permission, sits beside him and _flanks_ him. He doesn't even have time to react, so he moves and unwillingly gives him a space to sit. 

Law's mind is still in shambles and can't concentrate to everything. Luffy is too near, his food is wasted and he has found his soulmate in a _very_ _ideal_ way. What a life he leads. He must have been a terrible person in his past life to be given this fate today. 

Luffy cleans the table, sets aside the cup of coffee and plate of cake far from the explosion site. Law has his hand covering his mouth and nose with tissues while looking intently at the white lit finger of Luffy. 

_So it's true._ No wonder Luffy left an impression to him. He glances at his own left hand and confirms everything. 

How badly he wants to die… 

Why didn't he notice that earlier? It's appalling how he always misses details like this even if it's literally in front of him. If he found out earlier, he wouldn't have reacted like this. 

"Straw Hat-ya," finding his voice, he gets Luffy's attention from blabbering things about eating food slowly and turning to him, as Law suddenly feels suffocated. His gaze is too much, it's too penetrating, as if it's staring at Law's soul. 

"It's okay I was just careless," he means he wants Luffy to go away, he wants to process this thing alone. 

Poor kid doesn't seem to understand _why_ Law is acting like this all of a sudden. It's _his_ fault, he can't just go around speaking about that sensitive topic easily as if it's just about pooping or something. To be fair, Law eavesdropped and got what he deserved. 

Luffy furrows his brows, trying to read Law's eyes until they soften, indicating that he has decided on something. He stands up and gives Law a serene smile. It's radiating comfort, and Law hates that he feels like it. 

"Okay." Luffy looks at the food he settled on the end of the table and smiles again. "Eat them! The cake is still fine." 

"I will. Thank you," Law says simply. Luffy joins Usopp again on the counter as the long-nosed asks stuff about what happened. Law ignores them. He instead looks at the cake left unfinished, and his appetite spikes down. 

__________ 

_190603_

_5:17 pm_

Law feels icky. Even though he stopped in the comfort room to wash the coffee off of his arms, it is still there unless he takes a shower. Thankfully, he's only wearing a black button shirt, so the coffee stain isn't seen. The problem lies in his black-spotted blue maong pants. Right on his lap are splatters of brown and just the thought of it makes him annoyed. 

His shift is on six and glancing at his wrist watch, he still has a lot of time. He wasn't able to eat the cake in the cafe so he just packed it in a paper bag. He is sure it will be ruined, but at least it's not wasted. He also holds the cup of affogatto, all bland as the ice has melted already. 

It _sucks._ Law sighs in contempt. What an amazing fucking _day._

Law reaches the hallway where the rooms for the staying staff are. There are three familiar sets of heartbeats which all beat like drums in a rock concert. The surgeon frowns. These three are definitely Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin and by the terrified screaming of their hearts, it sounds like they're bringing troublesome news. He figures that they know what happened with the punching thing and they're probably concerned about that. 

He finally sees them and they don't even hide their awkwardness by scrambling like kids caught stealing food in the fridge at night. Law steels his gaze and frowns. 

"Captain!" Shachi and Penguin approach him first, butts sticking and crouching as if they're begging something for Law. His headache strengthens. 

"What?"

"Are you alright?" Penguin looks over him. 

"We heard the news! What happened?" Shachi does the same and stands at the other side. 

Law clicks his tongue as Penguin attempts to get the paper bag with his cake in it. "I got carried away." 

He _did_ get carried away, as that patient victoriously pissed him off. He's in the wrong, anyways, and Law is getting what he deserves for doing that. 

Bepo is just staring at him nervously and avoiding eye contact. "But why did you punch him?" Shachi stands up straight, placing a hand on his hip as if that's gonna work. Law isn't phased, he believes he's been through a lot today to be intimidated. 

Law looks at Shachi blankly. "'Cause he's an asshole. Why else? He pushed a nurse and made a commotion." 

Penguin shakes his head. "You could've handled that better, Captain. You know it."

The surgeon lets him get the cake. "Yeah." 

Penguin grins and steps aside to look at his price. Upon seeing the barely looking like cake, he slumps his shoulders and frowns. 

"But Law," Shachi starts, exchanging looks with Penguin and Bepo. Law raises his eyebrow. 

"Do you know this thing called soulmate?" 

_Ah. So they know._ Law is curious as to how they found out. These idiots really know how to intrude. He can't hide anything from them. He let them press on and watch how they would unfold the information for his own amusement. 

"Yeah. So what?"

Bepo steps forward, neck tucked as if Law is going to eat him. Unfortunately, no. Bepo is too pure and kind for someone to be mad at him. "Luffy- _san,_ the guy this morning…" 

The surgeon narrows his eyes. "What about him?" He almost snickered at how Penguin and Shachi unconsciously hooked their arms together as they share the cake, dumbly nervous. He bites the inside of his mouth to prevent himself from smiling. 

"He's your soulmate!" Bepo blurts out rather loudly, flapping his arms and surprising them. 

After the outburst is a stretched awkward silence. Law cracks after a few seconds, snickering as he covers his mouth. His three friends look at him weirdly.

"I already know. I just found out… embarrassingly," Law admits with a smirk, and how refreshing are their reactions. It must have bothered them for the entire day, sick and worried about how he would receive the news. That's thoughtful of them and even if it's annoying to admit, he's happy for having them. He's all cheered up, as if he wasn't tired anymore. 

" _Eeeeehhh?!"_ They exclaim. 

"Tell us the story, then!" Shachi demands. 

__________ 

_190603_

_6:10 pm_

Law was ten minutes late in his shift because of his friends. Fortunately, there wasn't any critical case that time so nobody noticed his absence. He told his friends what happened, all the embarrassing shit he'd been through. He hid nothing and said how he eavesdropped and all. 

Their reactions were phenomenal, as expected. They are not his friends for no reason. 

"Oh, there you are," A female senior fellow doctor approaches Law with a graceful smile, her wavy and long dark hair tailing her white coat. She has her stethoscope draping over her neck, a habit of most doctors as her hazel eyes sparkle at the sight of Law. She is quite tall, almost as tall as him and she dresses well, usually picking magenta and black dresses. 

Law turns to her, a hand inside his coat's pocket. "Why, do you need me?" 

When Law started his residency, it was Violet who was assigned to watch over him. The other residents envied him for being partnered with a pretty lady, but Law could care less. She's been strictly professional, and Law doesn't complain. Violet is actually the one who makes most excuses for him to be saved from Doctorine's wrath, and Law is grateful, naturally. 

Violet extends her smile. "Well, I could use some helping hand for a patient. Though…" 

Law hears hesitation from Violet, who trails for a few seconds and looks at her side before turning back to him. 

"He's quite rowdy. He's apparently a gang leader of some sort, and there has been a riot among the other groups," Violet tilts her head and crosses her arms. 

Law rolls his eyes, "Why didn't you call me, then?" 

The two of them head to the emergency center, just in time when they paged for free doctors and nurses to assist. The emergency room is suddenly filled with waves of wailing people who are mostly men, crying in pain about their broken bones and bleeding guts. 

He's done this so many times, yet Law doesn't seem to learn. The noise around him gets overwhelming at times, and still makes his blood pressure rise. Violet is always the considerate one, who leads him to whom he should work on. The emergency room isn't his favorite. He'd rather wait in the operating room and start from there. 

In one of the beds lies a bloody man, clothed in formal clothes. His black coat is discarded and left with his white inner coat which is drenched with the blood flowing out of his left side. 

"Is that him?" Law gestures at the man, as Violet nods once. 

"Yes, will you please tend to him?" Violet asks, itching to move to another patient. Law doesn't make her wait and nods, turning to the attending nurses who are frantically keeping the man from moving as she pumps oxygen in his nose and mouth, while the other one is pressing on the wound. 

"The patient is stabbed twice in his midsection and has been having a hard time breathing. We suspect that his lungs have been punctured, as the bleeding is profuse," the nurse who is compressing the wound reports.

Law looks over and picks up the patient's wrist, pressing his two fingers for a pulse. He hears the beat, slowly and then frantically, fluctuating rapidly in rate. It isn't just the lungs. "Quick, move the patient in an operating room! He's critical, his heart is punctured!" 

The nurses are surprised, but are quick to react as well. One of them ensured a room and other specialists to help as the rest of them go.

A while ago, the man appeared conscious but now, his eyes are dilated and Law suspects shock. The situation has turned for the worst. Law isn't sure if this man could still be saved. 

Together with the two nurses and an anesthesiologist, they hurriedly set up the patient. "Where's Doctorine?" Law asks as he dresses up with gloves and overalls. 

The nurse furrows her brows, frowning behind the mask. "She's attending another patient."

"Did you tell her this is critical?" Law hisses, clicking his tongue in frustration. 

"We did, she says you can handle this."

"Bullshit." Law growls lowly, flicking his hands. 

"Should we continue? You're still not qualified to handle this operation, Dr. Trafalgar. If we may fail, the consequences are dire."

Law glares, "I know that." It's exactly why he needs Kureha to be here. 

The nurse drops her shoulders slightly, "Are you certain of your diagnosis? You haven't even performed an X-ray or echocardiogram."

"I _am._ Stitching his external wound is like leaving him to death itself. We _will_ continue, with or without a specialist."

Law enters the operation room with the nurse. This is infuriating. Nobody is going to do this critical operation aside from him and he's not even a specialist yet! It is like they're trapping him to _fail_ this thing. If they didn't do it, there is a larger chance for the patient to die and time is always the most valuable resource. 

The patient is ready and sedated, his fluids monitored by the anesthesiologist. The wound is cleaned, and the side of his chest where he was stabbed bare. The only thing anticipated is his prompt. 

Law closes his eyes and lets the patient's heartbeat resonate in his ears; how blood flows to his every organ, each minuscule movement. 

"Mes," he bares his right gloved hand, as the scalpel is laid on his palm, cold under his grip. This is going to be his first time to handle an actual thoracotomy. He's been into many, but all those were supervised by Doctorine. 

"His blood pressure would drop after five minutes. Be prepared for transfusion," he says before gently pressing the blade into the skin. 

After he has opened up the chest and cut out some bones with the help of a senior nurse, he is correct with his assumption that the patient's heart is punctured. There's also a significant damage in his lung tissues and those also require his attention. 

The heartbeat is getting feeble, so Law has lesser time to perform the stitches. The wound isn't that deep, just about one centimeter deep and three centimeter long but enough to obstruct the system. He has to do this quickly. 

Law works smoothly, slowly but surely. Every puncture of the needle is done with precision, as the beating muscle acts as a blatant mockery for him to do his job properly. Open heart surgery is something that he only has seen from Kureha and the books. It is exhilarating as he does it. 

He does the final stitch and cuts the suture with equal care. He then gives a few seconds for the heart to adjust, holding his breath. 

Law turns his focus on the lung. It's bleeding a lot, as most of his lost blood came from there. They seeped the blood with catheter, revealing how the lung only suffered a minor damage. The patient was probably stabbed by a sharp rod of some sort, instead of a knife. It only ever gets critical because of the second stab that pierced through his heart. The injury is obviously deliberate, and aims for murder.

The nurses are in awe, as Law's diagnosis came right. There really is a wound on the heart and if it wasn't for Law's quick action, the patient would have died of shock, as they didn't quickly administer pericardiocentesis and plasma transfusion. 

The patient's vitals are stable now, and his blood pressure is relatively normal. There must be no more pressure in his left ventricle, and gradually the blood is back on track. His lung will heal itself, and this patient will recover within two weeks or so. 

Everybody in the OR releases a sigh, as they finished up the surgery, closing the incision and cleaning up. Before Law can walk outside, he sees Dr. Hiriluk, the head of the cardiothoracic surgery department and his heartbeat immediately shoots up. 

Law honestly wants Dr. Hiriluk's approval because he plans to specialise in cardiothoracic surgery. He has always wanted to get to his good side, even though kissing up to someone's ass kills his entire soul. He clears his throat, before the double glass sliding door that separate him and the head open, keeping a straight face. 

Dr. Hiriluk is one of the eldest in the field, second to Doctorine. He always exudes this "strict" vibe, yet Law frequently sees him being yelled at by Doctorine. As soon as he sees him, Hiriluk softens the crumples in his forehead and smiles as Law hears a soft chime from him. 

"I see you did it," Hiriluk leans to look over Law's shoulder, gesturing at the room he left. 

Law glances back and nods, "Ah, yes, Professor," he bites his tongue for being nervous. It's not like he killed his patient. He should act _normal_ , at least.

Hiriluk lets out a laugh, vibrating in his chest and blooming like a flower. It's a weird sound, and Law cannot associate it to anything. He isn't sure how to approach him. "You're like your mother! Fierce and determined!" The old surgeon taps his shoulder. 

A light blush slowly creeps from his cheeks. "Th-thank you." 

"Don't worry about the protocol you just breached - I'll handle it," Hiriluk winks, and Law is about to combust internally. "Good job, kid!" He walks off, laughing. 

Law stares dumbly, and for the first time today, he feels _good._ Maybe he really did a good job, after all. 

__________ 

_190603_

_11:16 pm_

Exhausting is to reduce this day to oblivion. Law can't even find a word to properly describe what he's been through. Now that his shift is done, he heads home with Polar Tang. He ignores that distracting crack, and thinks he can fix it later. 

Law enters the village, driving with his muscle memory. He just wants to get this over with and sleep already, so he speeds up a little over the limit. 

Of course, just when he tried to break the rules, something awful is naturally the consequence. He hears a faint sound of footsteps a little too late, landing right in front of his car. He has no time to stop, and hits the person before he could step on the break. 

" _Shit!_ " Law mutters as Polar Tang halts. He quickly gets off the car and goes to the person he hit. What's with today, that he keeps hitting people?! 

A sharp screech enters his hearing, and a bubbling sense of foreboding danger rises up to his chest. He almost pauses, but his will to act based on his sworn duty comes in uncharacteristically louder than his intuition. Law runs to the bumper and sees a black clad person, his back facing him and lying on his side. 

Law kneels in one knee, his arm reaching the man's back. He looks unmoving, until the person suddenly rises, holding Law's outstretched arm before plunging a glinting knife into the doctor's abdomen. Law isn't able to react, as the person pushes in the knife deeper. 

Panic consumes his entire being as he utters a pained groan. He can't see the man's face, and all he feels is the numbing pain from where the knife is. Law throws his other hand to pull out the person's hand, but he appears stronger than him despite being shorter and smaller. 

In his surprise, the man pulls the bloody knife and plunges again, this time stabbing his left shoulder. Law screams, but there's nobody around the dim lit street to see his struggle. He attempts to kick the man, but he is already weaker as his attacker dodges and runs away. 

The wounds are _burning_ , and all he thinks about is how to not feel the sensation, though it proves futile. The stabs are just right at the points where he could bleed a lot and none of his vital organs are hit. Although, that isn't in his conscious and immediate thoughts. He has to get away here _alive._

Law tries to stand up, even with his darkening vision. He coughs out a few of his own blood, his hands finding their way to grip the car's bumper. He uses it to lift himself up even shakily, staining the blinding headlight with red. He staggers towards the door and opens it with a trembling hand before he collapses on the seat, breathing heavily. 

What shall he do? Who shall he call? He's losing too much blood to be able to think straight, as black spots dot his vision. He fights it off and picks his phone up, pressing "1" which is Cora- _san's_ number. It rings for a few seconds until his hold of his consciousness wears off, dropping the phone from his hand before he could hear his dad's response. 

__________ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeaaaa, that happened. I think we're finally getting into the plot now haha. 
> 
> *Echocardiogram - sonography of the heart.  
> *Thoracotomy - opening of the chest cavity.  
> *Pericardiocentesis - done to seep fluid formed in the pericardial sac of the heart 
> 
> Just a few Google-able medical jargons.


	5. Looming Threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luffy is terrified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw/ too much blood.

_Chapter 4: Looming Threat_

_190603_

_9:18 am_

"Luffy, stop looking back, he's not gonna come out," Ace pulls his collar, tugging Luffy beside him as the younger whines. 

" _But_!" 

Ace almost snarls, "You'll be _late!_ It's past nine!" 

"Ah!" Luffy exclaims, sprinting outside like a whirlwind, leaving his yelling brother in his wake. 

Oh no, he _can't_ anger Professor _Borsalino_ , he can be quite scary! Luffy doesn't notice how quick the time has passed after meeting Torao. He hasn't even said his proposal to the doctor personally, as he is busy with his doctor thing. Luffy cannot pull him out, nor wait for him since the bear friend told him that Torao wouldn't be back until after lunch. That's too long of a wait, but that doesn't mean Luffy can't make a little effort of spending a _few_ minutes in the hospital to catch a glimpse. 

_Still,_ his choice bears no fruit and he is even almost half an hour late to his first class. Professor Borsalino's class isn't even a major course, but he's even more demanding than Brook, who is _literally_ the major-est professor he has. 

The Grandline University is a state university and obviously Luffy's tuition is free. Ace and Sabo combine a percentage of their salary to pay for his miscellaneous fees, as Luffy has gladly survived another year of college so far. He's now almost finished second year and after a few weeks would summer vacation follow. He's excited as he's booked part-time jobs, just in time for him to earn enough money to pay for the damages he did on Torao's car. 

He hasn't told the doctor that, but he would eventually. He's even about to start training as a barista in Kaya's family's café after class. 

As Luffy breezes his way to the university grounds, running like a madman, turning to corners his muscle memory has memorized, he reaches the school and his classroom just within ten minutes. That's a record, because the distance he just ran from the hospital to that very door is around three kilometers. He wishes he can cover more. 

"Oh, there you are, Monkey D. Luffy." Borsalino turns to him slowly, his tinted round glasses glinting as the light from the ceiling catches it. 

The guy pants, standing in the doorway as he catches his breath. "Prof-" he leans his hand against the doorframe as the professor looks at him with his creepy droopy face. "-fessor, good morning, sorry I'm late." 

"Hmm," Borsalino looks over him, noticing the patch on his head as he taps his marker on the white board, looking up for a second before turning back to Luffy. 

"I'll let you go for today, because it's finals next week," the tall man gestures his head towards his back, with Luffy taking that as a cue to sit. 

Luffy sits right at the far edge of the room, just to be far away from Borsalino's view. Turning to a classmate beside him, he asks, "I forgot my things, can I borrow your pen and paper?" 

Fortunately, Luffy survived that part of the day and it's now lunch time. He thought of dropping off in the hospital to check if Torao was there, but decided not to do so in the end. He'll have more time tomorrow, and as he has classes only in the morning, he could visit him in the afternoon. 

So Luffy goes to the cafeteria and meets with Usopp in their reserved squad spot. "Oi! Usopp!" Sooner, Chopper trails in, books in his arms and Luffy calls for him too.

After ordering a mountain of food, Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy settled on their seats. The three of them start an eating battle with just a short eye contact, finishing the food at superhuman speed. Their schoolmates cheer, with some of them whistling in amusement. As usual, Luffy wins the battle and leaves the two panting. Nami would have earned loads if she was here by the number of people who watched them. 

"No one can beat you, Luffy! You're insane!" Usopp comments, his face red as he gulps water helplessly. 

Luffy only cackles and sits upright, fists on his both sides. "I'm built differently." 

"Hm?" Chopper raises his head from the table, a hand clutching his stomach. "Luffy, why do you have a gauze on your forehead?" The youngest gestures at the wound he obtained a while ago. 

Usopp's gaze also shifts to concern, eyebrows furrowed. "This? It's a wound."

"No shit." Usopp deadpanned. "Oh wait, did you get that from hangliding?" 

Chopper turns to Usopp, alarmed. "Hangliding? When? Where?" He looks at Luffy, asking for an explanation. 

Luffy flashes his teeth, "This morning, just around the highway." 

" _Highway?!_ "

Luffy told them everything, starting from when the glider caught the wrong wind until when he got late for his first class. Usopp and Chopper are just gaping at him the whole time, their expressions unbelieving. 

"I think I know that doctor you're talking about, Luffy," Chopper settles down and pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to rack his brain for information. 

"You do?" That makes it easier for Luffy, then! His eyes widen, Luffy leans forward and anticipates Chopper's answer with a beam. 

Chopper's eyes light up after a moment. "Ah! Doctorine's favorite resident!" 

"Cool!" 

"Wow, you met an interesting person, Luffy," Usopp comments, a hand on his cheek. "To be Doctorine's _favorite,_ it means he must be rough at the edges." 

Chopper nods at Usopp before looking back to Luffy. "Yeah, Doctorine always tells me a lot about him and how he's got the potential."

The information makes Luffy stand from his seat to loom over Chopper who is just right across him. "Tell me more about him!"

His brown haired friend shrugs, "I only know he's a good surgeon, Luffy. Just his skills, you might not want to hear those things." 

_Bummer_. Luffy huffs and settles back on his seat. Chopper is right, though. He'd probably tell all those smart words he wouldn't understand. 

"Heh, guess you'd have to give it up, Luffy. A doctor like that might not find your quirks worth their time." 

"I don't care, I'll pay him whether he likes it or not." Luffy looks at the fork before him and twirls it. 

Usopp sighs, "No stopping you, huh?" His long nosed friend smiles before shifting the topic. 

"At 2 pm, okay? Right in the café?" 

Gears turned slowly in Luffy's mind before it clicked to him. " _Oh_ , yeah, okay! I'll be waiting."

__________ 

_190603_

_4:45 pm_

Luffy is more than ready to handle money things in this café. He has learned the basics and has served a handful of customers the past few hours. It is easier than he had anticipated. 

The bell chimes indicating a new customer. Luffy pauses his game and stands to greet the person. 

To his surprise, it is Torao, absentmindedly looking at the cakes in the glass display. He looks tired, but the smell he has never changed; it is still the same lavender one which now stands out among the other scents in the place. 

Luffy's mood instantly boosts, lips already curled up into a wide smile. He hears his stomach growl, as a laugh escapes his throat. 

"Torao!" 

Torao slowly raises his head and meets with Luffy's happy welcome. "Straw-Hat- _ya_?" 

"Yup! I don't have my hat right now, though. How are you?" The doctor doesn't seem to notice that Luffy has no hat on his head currently and still calls him based on that. No matter - it looks like Luffy has to wear that more frequently, even during this part-time. He doesn’t want it to be stained or anything, that’s why he left it in the locker. 

Scowling, Torao says, “What are _you_ doing here?” 

Luffy is about to explain when Usopp slides in beside him. “Oh, you know him, Luffy?” 

“He’s the doctor I told you,” Luffy says to Usopp, a little excited with the meeting of his friend and new friend. He’s happy that they know each other, as this saves him time for the introduction part of the friendship. 

“You’re friends?” 

Luffy grins, so does Usopp as they both answer Law giddily. “Yup!”

“Anyways, Law? The usual?” Usopp asks, heading to the coffee maker. Luffy looks at Law, thinking about what kind of coffee he likes. If Law is a frequenter here, this just means Luffy gets to see him more and he doesn’t even need to go to the hospital for that. He can give the payment here, without having to bother the doctor. 

Torao slowly nods, his gaze flicking towards the white cake on the counter, “With Strawberry Shortcake this time.” 

“Heh, didn’t eat, huh?” Usopp says which rings the bell of concern for Luffy. 

"You didn't eat, Torao? Were you very busy?" 

“Yes, _very,_ ” Law looks at him, his gaze flat. Luffy just backs a little before getting the bill that the doctor handed him. 

Torao is skipping meals - that is unbelievable. Luffy cannot function properly when he’s hungry and he _isn’t_ a doctor with a hectic life. “You shouldn’t miss meals, you know. I even heard your stomach!” 

Behind him, Usopp snorts which makes Law embarrassed, his flushed cheeks contrast his recent infallible demeanor. 

“So what? There was an influx of patients today so I had to stretch myself. I didn’t die,” Torao says as if it wasn’t a matter of life and death. 

In annoyance with the doctor’s indifference, Luffy flares his nostrils and growls shortly before giving the change, “Even so. I’ll bring you your lunch if you keep missing meals.” 

Law sharpens his gaze, “Please don’t. I can take care of myself.” 

A bell chimes and Torao’s order is done. The smell reaches Luffy’s overactive nose as he follows the cup of affogato from Usopp’s hands to Law’s. He doesn’t notice that he has been drooling at the smell before Usopp points out. 

Torao walks away and heads to the single table at the corner, looking pleased with his meal. 

“I can’t believe Doctor Trafalgar was the one whom you encountered, Luffy. The tattoos you said should have given it,” Usopp stifles a laugh, glancing at the mentioned who is immersed in enjoying his cake. 

“He’s cool, right? How long have you known him?” Luffy asks, flexing his hand with a finger with a white lit ring. 

Usopp tilts his head in contemplation, “He’s been here since I started. I think he’s been a patron for years now, though. Kaya might know.”

“Oh, makes sense. The hospital is just around there.” 

“Luffy,” Usopp’s tone changes a little, making Luffy curious. 

“Your finger is lit, right?” Luffy’s expression brightens after the inquiry as he pulls out his right hand, grinning. 

Usopp grabs his wrist, looking at his ring finger. “It’s white!” His long nose friend looks around, eyes wide. “Who is it?”

Luffy chuckles, his grin face-splitting. “Torao made it light up!” 

As soon as Luffy says that, he hears someone choking from their drink. He and Usopp turn to the origin of the sound along the other customers and he is surprised to see it was Law. He quickly steps outside the counter, running towards the doctor to pat his back as Torao struggles with catching his breath and coughing at the same time. 

“Oi, Torao! Are you okay?” Luffy asks as he grabs the tissue on the table and gives them to Law. 

Torao only nods at him as he covers his mouth and nose with the tissues. Luffy furrows his brows as he sits beside him, grabbing the remaining tissues to clean the table. “You were really hungry, huh?” He continues to wipe the table, taking notice of the stained cake. He almost feels bad for the doctor, as now that he has finally eaten, this happened. 

“Straw Hat-ya,” Torao calls, lifting Luffy’s attention. He stares at his eyes directly, noticing how dark they are. He sees how the doctor is overworked and tired, and thinks that he needs a break. Luffy just doesn’t know how to help, though, and he knows his help can be unwelcomed.

  
“It’s okay, I was just careless,” Law returns a firm stare, making Luffy’s heart shrink a bit. One thing is for sure - Torao likes his space, and that is something that he can give easily. Besides, he knows that he can’t force him to befriend him. 

“Okay,” Luffy glances at the cake he placed aside and gives a reassuring smile. “Eat them! The cake is still fine.” 

“I will. Thank you.” 

Luffy nods once more, keeping a straight face. He heads to the counter and spares no glance at Torao, feeling that he would somehow make him feel worse. He chooses to entertain Usopp’s questions until Law finally goes out, coffee and paper bag in hand.

\----------

_190603_

_11:07 pm_

Ace was late and says that the fire isn’t even over. So far this year, it is the largest and longest fire, and the fire department is fearing that more people will be seen dead. It is a tragedy which was sparked by a small negligence. 

The dinner prepared by Nami, Nojiko, and Sanji was eaten in a whirlwind, and the guys were almost out after a few minutes of eating. Luffy volunteered to wash the dishes, so he is up a little later than Ace and Sanji. Ace had contacted Zoro a few hours ago and there was no response, so he decided to call it off. 

After a few minutes, Luffy is done with the dishes. He does last checks of the house before turning off the lights and entering their bedroom. He is halfway the ladder to his bunk bed when he feels a strange sensation. 

Luffy is born with insensitivity to pain. It is something that wasn’t detected early by his grandfather and caretaker. When he was young, he’d frequently get cuts, bruises, and burns seemingly out of nowhere and he was just labeled as a rowdy kid. It was the case until he showed to someone how brave he was by cutting a curved line just beneath his left eye. 

He could feel it, he knew that the blade had sliced a portion of his skin and felt the blood dripping down his cheeks but there was an absence of pain that Ace and Sabo always whined about whenever they got punched in the head, or quickly withdrawing a hand when it touched the flame. It surprised everyone and learned that what Luffy had was an actual disease. In fact, even Grandfather had it to some extent, Luffy’s just an extreme case. 

To cope, he learned that certain things should be felt and he should always keep in mind that they may hurt. He had tried to imitate how pain can manifest through Ace and Sabo’s descriptions. He isn’t going to lie, it was hard. Still, he managed to live with it. 

However, this certain strange sensation is something he has never felt before. It is like someone plunged a knife right in his stomach, yet feeling empty afterwards, since he cannot sense the actual pain. A chilling thought enters his mind that prompts him to jump off of the ladder and bolt out of the room. 

Since he obviously isn’t stabbed, it only means one thing - Torao. 

Similar to what happened in the morning, Torao was punched, and Luffy felt a knuckle against his face as well the same time he did. Considering the soulmate phenomenon, the two bound persons are to share pain, only that Luffy cannot feel pain itself. 

Luffy rushes which wakes Sanji and Ace up. They are alarmed as Luffy replies that he received a Reflect from Torao. Ace wastes no time following his brother, leaving Sanji in their dorm confused. Luffy forgets to wear his slippers as he runs on the streets frantically, with Ace barely keeping up from being woken abruptly. 

“Luffy! Do you know where he is?” Ace calls behind him. 

“I don’t!” Luffy paddles his legs quicker, glancing at his right hand. It’s still reddish in color, so Torao must still be far from him. He decides to run outside their village and into the hospital where he works, hoping to catch him around that path. 

Ace seems to understand as he continues to follow his brother, now by his side, running.

As if it is a kind of miracle, Luffy’s ring finger shifts color to white, making his heart pump faster. He trusts his gut as he turns from the main street to the 7th where he sees a familiar car, its lights open brightly. No one is around aside from the car, the night dark without the moon. 

Catching his breath, Luffy ran to the car as the sight almost made his heart jump out of its chest. Luffy just stares at Law’s bloodied figure, sitting in the car with his face angled away from view. 

“Law? Law! Answer me, what happened?” 

A distorted and muffled sound from a phone call knocks him off of his trance, as he snaps his head towards Ace, his eyes foggy because of the tears he didn’t notice were there. Ace’s eyes narrow as he makes haste, telling Luffy to grab a rock and smash the window of the shotgun side so they can enter the locked car. 

As Luffy does all that, the muffled voice from the phone grew anxious because of the sound, with Ace quickly instructing Luffy to settle Law behind. 

“Look for a pulse, Luffy,” his brother says, picking up the phone under the dashboard. Luffy nods, his hand shakily searches in his neck. 

“I’m feeling something,” Luffy says, glancing at Torao. He looks pained, his forehead wrinkled. At least Luffy felt a pulse, even if it was faint. His wounds are quickly losing blood, as he focuses on putting pressure on them to stop it. 

“Good,” Ace takes control of the car and passes the phone to Luffy. 

“Hello?” Luffy starts, his voice shaky as Ace starts the car. Around his arms is Torao, unconscious and bleeding from two stabs - one in his lower chest and one in his shoulder. Luffy doesn’t understand why and how, as the situation only gets his fighting instinct on and nothing else. His mind rack for anything but nothing comes, as the person on the other line answers back as shaken as he could be.  
  
“Wh-what is happening? Where is my son, who are you?” 

Luffy hears a sniff from Law’s father, his grip tightening around him. They settle him uncomfortably beside Luffy, his legs folded and his upper body held tightly by Luffy. He knows he should answer calmly, but even he has no answer to some of the questions. 

“We’re heading to the hospital and bringing him there,” Luffy stretches his legs against the seat to gain support as Ace sharply turns the car, honking at everyone they pass. 

“Please hurry up,” Luffy says, lost for words. 

This is not how Luffy wants to see Law again. He looks forward to meeting him in the morning, all frowny and grumpy and _unhurt._ If Luffy had been far from him, he would have never seen him again and Luffy is daunted by that thought. He knows how horrible it would be to lose someone, he isn’t naïve, but he definitely isn’t looking forward to experiencing the thing himself. 

“Ace, is it normal to bleed this much?” Luffy is not well-versed on a lot of things, but he has a natural instinct to things that he naturally follows. The amount of blood that Luffy has been helplessly trying to slow down doesn’t show a sign of development, and Law’s face is turning even paler every second. 

“It isn’t,” Ace says as he is forced to stop the car in the security post at the entrance of the village. He clicks his tongue and opens the window abruptly. 

“We have an emergency, no time for bullshit. Let us pass,” the freckled man glares, his crimson eyes glinting with warning, his hand pulling the gear as he advances the car without waiting for the guard’s response. 

“I’m not sure, he could have some blood disorder I can’t remember. Just try stopping the bleeding as much as you can, Lu,” Ace glances at him from the mirror, concern on his tired face. 

It isn’t enough to reassure Luffy, as all it does is to heighten the worry flaring deep within him. Even if it’s quite unsteady with Ace’s hurried driving, Luffy scans the car with anything to help Law. He sees an emergency kit at the back and he doesn’t waste his time to fumble with its contents finding the roll of gauze. 

The hospital is half a minute drive, and with the remains of the recent night rush, their travel would take a little longer as the road is slightly filled with buses, trucks and a few cars. Whatever time they have right now is certainly significant and Luffy _cannot_ fail this. 

Laying Law on his back as Luffy cramps himself in the tight spaces of the car, he works on the gauze, ripping Law’s button shirt open. Right below the shoulder bone is the puncture wound which almost gushes with blood. The raven haired winces as he starts to wrap the wound with the cloth, tightening it to help stop the bleeding. His wrapping method is probably incorrect, but he hopes it does its purpose. 

The brake is suddenly stepped on which forces Luffy’s body to jerk backward and then forward. He is certain he would have gained a bruise, but that doesn’t matter as long as Law is safe. He hears Ace curse behind him and proceeds to speed the car once more.

Luffy proceeds to the wound below Law’s chest around the stomach area, using the entire roll to wrap it around his torso. The tattoos painted on the doctor’s chest missed, Luffy takes one deep breath, scrunching his nose after inhaling the rusty scent of blood. Whoever did this to Law would surely pay the price. Nothing is in his mind but to beat up someone and get it over with. He can only trust Law to survive this, as hell is surely about to break loose. 

The next few minutes felt like walking on thin ice. Law’s state is gradually deteriorating, his lips almost blue and his hands cold. Luffy holds it to keep it warm somehow, and sees how the older man’s breathing is labored, as if he is running while unconscious. Panic stricken, Luffy yells at Ace to go faster. 

They are in front of the emergency room entrance in an instant, as Ace quickly runs out for help. He gets some people, equipped with a mobile bed. Things happen in front of Luffy in a blur - the nurses are fast to get Law and lay him on the bed, as they bolt inside. Some of them recognized their patient, as Luffy is met with a familiar face. 

One of Law’s friends, the one wearing glasses and a whale hat, sees him and distraught creeps in his features. Luffy is paralyzed on that spot, nurses, doctors, emergency responders all around him as they tended to multiple patients including Law. 

Luffy’s bare feet drag him forward, eyes glossy as his hand reaches for Law, surrounded by uniformed people. He suddenly feels terrified; helpless in the situation. He just met his soulmate, and he cannot bear the thought of the possibility of losing him all on the same day. His legs feel weak and before they drop, Ace grabs him by the arm, dragging him gently away from the busy crowd. He doesn’t hear what his brother says, his eyes focused on the small space where he can see Law, half-alive, half-dead. 

\----------

_190603_

_11:55 pm_

This isn’t how Shachi expected the last hour of his shift to be. A code blue is called, and it so happened that he likes the thrill of the trauma center, so he goes to attend. What he thought as a normal patient was his friend, _Law_ , the same cheeky Law he just waved goodbye a few minutes ago. What he remembers that was plastered on his face was a smug smirk, not a pale, death-stricken one. 

“Law!” Shachi rushes, looking over at his friend as one of the emergency residents does a resuscitation. He pushes him aside and takes over, seeing the sloppily wrapped wounds on his left shoulder and abdomen. 

“Come back, please,” he continues pumping before the chief EM doctor takes over to deliver a shock from the defibrillator. One electric shock triggers a minuscule movement from the monitor, as the doctor decides to do another one. 

The heart beats again as Shachi releases the breath he has been holding. 

“Administer transfusion, stat!” Doctor Wanda says, as everyone rushes to work. Shachi informs them of Law’s pre-existing conditions - his anemia and hemophilia. The protocol is quickly shifted to fit the patient’s needs after his note. Shachi cannot donate blood due to incompatibility and neither can Penguin. Only Bepo can, but he has been done with his shift hours ago. He can contact him anyways, along Cora-san who probably has zero idea of this happening. He just doesn’t know how to break it to him. 

As if the universe is against Law’s survival, the bank reports a depletion of the supply of blood types S and F as most of the hospital’s supply was used for the patients from the fire. They have transferred a liter, but it isn’t sufficient to stabilize his condition. Shachi decides to call Bepo and Cora-san, while the rest of the staff try to fill Law with other necessary fluids to keep him alive while waiting for donors. They also move him to the specialized trauma center and will proceed to necessary treatments once they get the bags. 

Shachi is informed that two men brought Law into the emergency room using his car. That is strange and questions rain his mind. Time is running, though, so he should not dwell too much on what happened and how. 

In his surprise, a disoriented kid blocks his way, and the first things Shachi sees are the bare feet of this child and then his legs, clothes, and hands stained with blood. In front of him is Luffy, frazzled and anxious. It dawned to him that it’s Luffy who brought in Law. “Luffy…” Shachi says, feeling a little lightheaded after everything. He hasn’t had the time to process what happened yet, and he doesn’t know what to say to Luffy, or how to start, even. 

“H-how’s Torao?” Luffy’s eyes are trembling, the sight breaking Shachi’s heart. He won’t ever understand how this innocent-looking kid has gotten himself tangled in Law’s life, yet for some reason, it feels right. Just this instance, it has been Luffy who’s the first person to be there for Law when his friends aren’t able to. It pains a little, and hopefully Shachi can outgrow this and support his friend, nevertheless. 

“He isn’t… okay,” Shachi is surprised with the cracking of his voice. Luffy looks unsettled, his eyes looking lost for a moment. 

“But he’ll be, right?” 

He wants to smile, really, but that is proven arduous. Shachi can only stretch his lips from a pathetic effort. “I am hoping, too.” 

Shachi cannot waste precious seconds as he gives a slight bow to the kid before walking past him. He hasn’t striden a significant distance from Luffy when the kid caught up to him, stopping him from his tracks. “Can I do anything to help? Does he need blood?” 

Eyes lighting up even faintly, the nurse sees a glimpse of hope, almost ready to accept Luffy’s help. 

“I’m type F, I can give mine,” Luffy looks desperate, unconsciously lifting his wrist as if to give his blood right at that spot. 

“Really?” That’s just great! He cannot drain Luffy of his blood, though. Law needs more than what Luffy can give, but certainly, it’s more than helpful. “Okay, can you wait a bit, I’ll just call Bepo and Law’s dad,” Shachi pulls his phone out, dialling Bepo’s number. Luffy looks eagerly, his stance impatient. 

Bepo answered quickly, his voice sounding like he just woke up. “What’s wrong?”

It’s a rule they’ve all set - no phone calls beyond midnight, unless it’s an emergency. This is clearly the exception and more likely has gotten Bepo ready to go out even without hearing the reason. 

“Law needs blood _right now,”_ Shachi says simply, the line falling silent. 

“Okay,” Bepo answers after a few seconds of utter silence.

Shachi drops the call as his finger hovers over Cora’s number when Cora himself calls him. “Shachi!” 

Cora sounds distressed and it seems like he is running in the streets, the noise of the traffic all over him. “Cora-san! Where are you? Law needs you!”

The phone emits a distorted wailing from Cora, making Shachi wince. “I’m coming!” 

Shachi has no idea how Cora-san could have known but that is the least of the concerns. Now, he has Luffy to give the first batch and settle what is needed for the process. 

\----------

_190604_

_12:15 am_

Luffy can technically do whatever legal decision by now, but it’s imperative for him to consult Ace first especially when it’s about his health. Even if his little brother is relatively healthy and physically strong, when he isn’t careful, he can end up dead. It isn’t an exaggeration due to Luffy’s special condition as Ace has his narcolepsy to deal with as well. 

When Luffy came to him saying he will donate his blood to Torao, a person he just met not even a day ago, Ace almost wanted to object. However, this strikes him as if he’s going to regret it if he does. Besides, it is saving somebody’s life. Even if it’s just a stranger, everyone deserves to live. Ace's blood was compatible and he was fairly in shape, he would go after Luffy and give his as well. 

He lets Luffy go, claiming a seat near the room where his brother is. He takes a peek at Luffy, who is as determined as he can be, and he assumes he isn’t even listening to what the attendants are saying to him. Ace finds himself cracking a smile, crossing his legs and noticing he is barefooted, like his little brother. Sabo will definitely scold them for all these troubles they’ve caused. 

Thinking of that, Ace now wants to know how this Torao ended up near to the door of death. He stands up from his seat, stretches a little, and decides to do a little investigation. Ace goes back to the car he left in the parking lot to gather clues on what could have happened. He checks the front bumper and sees blood stains on the headlight. It looks like a handprint, and Ace isn’t too sure if it’s from Torao or some other person. There is also a slight dent on the front which means that he got into a minor accident. Since there was nobody around that place when they arrived, Torao cannot possibly hide a body in his decapacitated state _inside_ his car. 

However, it is also possible that the handprint is from Torao himself. Ace tries to dig his brain to support that claim and remembers a certain detail - there were small trails of blood outside the car leading to the door on the driver’s side. The freckled man quickly looks at the car door and his hypothesis is further supported. Blood stains are on the handle and the window, which all ends up inside the car. 

This is probable, but another scenario could have occurred, like someone set him up to be in that position after he was stabbed. He could have been stabbed inside the car, but there should be at least a sign of struggle. Torao stands at 6’3, and even if he was not physically strong, he could put up a little fight. 

Ace thinks that he might have been stabbed outside his car and then entered his car to call his father. What prompted him to go _out_ to be stabbed anyways is the anomaly in this theory. The suspect must have been the one who made the slight dent in the bumper, and when Torao went out, the suspect stabbed him. 

_Why,_ is a question he’d like to be answered as well. He knows little of this Torao person aside from the first name that Luffy provided. Ace decides to do a little background check, as he remembers Luffy calling Torao his soulmate. His stomach churns at the thought that Luffy’s soulmate is someone who is doing a tug of war with Death as of now. 

Ace goes to the shotgun side and looks for an ID, or anything. He squints his eyes and sees a glint of a laminated surface under the pedals. He opens the door to get the thing and as if he found a treasure, Ace’s eyes sparkle as he holds the identification card, its string hanging behind his palm. 

On the card is Torao’s picture, formally taken while wearing a white coat. Ace forcefully blinks, rereading the name written on the card.

_Law Trafalgar, M.D., 2nd Year Surgery Resident, Grandline Hospital._

Ace slams the ID against the dashboard. They are in some deep shit now, he thinks. This screams a major fuck up, Ace is certain. 

  
\---------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorrrrryyyy i suck at updating stuff, grrrr anyways 
> 
> this is just starting dw. also, for maximum experience, yall can go visit the other linked story cuz, idk, theyre linked???? some details are there but it's okay if yall are too lazy to do that smh 
> 
> jk. i hope you enjoiiiiii. pray for the writing muse to come down and bless us all (me, mainly so i can get back to track, siggghhh)
> 
> EDIT: I made a mistake omg, I wrote with the thought that Ace's blood type was X (Type A) and I forgot that it wasn't that but S (Type O)! So I made a little tweak on that part which makes his blood compatible with type F (Type B). That's it, nothing too large.


	6. Home Is Where The Heart Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corazon seeks help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw/surgical operation and mentions of anxiety

_Chapter 5: Home Is Where The Heart Is_

  
  


_190604_

_12:06 am_

Kureha has been sitting in this conference that bores her to death for what felt like hours now. She only accepted the invitation because it was an _absolute necessity,_ the memo said. She isn’t even a head of any of the departments but here they are, still needing her crusty self in the board meeting. 

The head of the board, one of her least favorite persons in this hospital, yells and then slams his large palms on the table. Wapol (Kureha isn’t sure how this bastard got his license, as he doesn’t even _work_ .) turns to Hiriluk, looking like he twisted his pants as he glowers at the old man. Kureha only shakes her head, taking a sip of _water_ from her metal canister. 

“Why haven’t you been taking a hold of your rowdy residents! Do you know how this could affect our reputation?” Wapol’s saliva jumps all over him and onto Hiriluk, while the other doctors try to shield themselves from it. 

Hiriluk, the ever patient one, just smiles. “I believe Doctor Trafalgar has learned his lesson. I assure you this won’t happen again.” 

Kureha makes a sound, earning their attention. “Trafalgar can surpass half of the doctors in this room after his residency,” her opinion isn’t controversial, yet it is explicitly stated in front of Wapol, who, for some reason, has a harboring resentment against the kid. 

Grunting indignantly, Wapol turns to Kureha, his eyes narrowed as if he’s challenging her. “Are you implying something, Doctor Kureha?” 

She receives a gesture from Hiriluk which says that she shouldn’t fight back, but she does, anyways. “Obviously so,” Kureha silences her burp in her knuckle before turning his body to Wapol. “I meant you, too. Hell, he can do more than you.” 

Coming in the right timing, a nurse bursts into the room, cutting off Wapol’s fury. “What?!” He yells at her, at which the nurse expertly ignores and turns to Kureha. That looks like she’s needed. 

“Excuse me for interrupting, but Doctor Kureha, we need you in the Trauma center. Our patient’s gone into a third cardiac arrest, we’re afraid we might lose him.” 

Everyone’s eyes narrowed, exchanging glances. Kureha quickly stands up from her seat, never paying a glance at the people in the conference room. Hiriluk probably followed, but he was stopped by Wapol calling him. Bastard would more likely use Hiriluk as his stress ball or something. Kureha is glad to be out. 

The doctor quickly wears her coat, running along the nurse. “Status?”

“Class Four Hemorrhage, doctor.”

Kureha doesn’t need to hear all the details. She rushes into this trauma patient, whom she thinks could have pneumothorax in his way. He might need surgery. 

Stepping into the room with her full protective gear, ready for surgery, Kureha faces to see her patient, who looks far too familiar to be ignored. 

She doesn’t know if this kid deserved this after what he has done a few hours ago. Kureha thinks it’s unfair. “Trafalgar…” She clicks her tongue beneath her mask, grabbing the scalpel. This is a scene she doesn’t want to happen again. Law should be standing beside her, operating, not being operated _on._ It unsettles Kureha, but she quickly shrugs it off. She has to make sure this kid lives. 

One of the most important principles of a surgeon is having no emotional attachment to their patient. Kureha always reminds her students of that, yet, as a human with a soul, she still can’t deny that this scene evokes _emotions_ in her. It feels wrong to see this child on the table and because of that, the pressure of doing her job weighs her more than it should. 

Kureha lets herself ride the flow state once his chest is wide open and she can see _literally_ his heart. Beating very faintly, she takes notice of the heart before turning into the collapsed left lung. It lost a deal of its size, the pressure from the external wound in the upper left shoulder causing it to be that. She proceeds to the surgery, inserting the catheter and removing the pressure in the lungs. Gradually, the left lung is filled with air, as the oxygen levels rise nearer to the normal level. She looks at the vessels surrounding the heart which most are in the stages of aneurysm. She goes to fix them, too. 

She knows it isn’t done. Kureha gives a few seconds before she decides to close up the chest because there will be a chance that the patient won’t respond as needed and go into arrest. If that happens again, chances of his full recovery will be very little, and the damage on his heart and brain may be irreversible. 

Thankfully, nothing happened. His blood pressure is going steady along his recent abnormal oxygen level. After going into a shock and three cardiac arrests, Kureha can only hope Law can recover, or else they’d lose an irreplaceable doctor. 

\----------

_190604_

_1:11 am_

Bepo has been pacing around, biting the edges of his nail. Waking up with the sudden call of needing blood is enough to send him in a frenzy, leaving his house in his pajamas. After giving his blood, though, he still hasn’t seen Law and they were told he was transferred to the operating room. 

“This isn’t because of the man he punched this morning, right?” Peng speaks who is seated beside Shachi and is busy tapping his feet on the tiled floor. They are waiting in the lobby of the OR, anxiousness heavy all over them. Luffy, the kid from a while ago is silent at the corner, probably asleep. 

Bepo only sighs, “I hope not,” he pauses before saying, “it’s unlikely. That patient is still in the hospital.”

Shachi leans on the back of the metal seat, sighing loudly. “It can be that other patient, the gang leader.”

The white haired guy stops from his pacing, his brows furrowed. “But why? He saved his life.”

“Maybe it was done by the _other_ leader, since he saved the other one,” Peng, Bepo, and Shachi exchange glances, only to sigh simultaneously. “Yeah, I know, they’re all practically incapable of fighting by now.” 

Their brainstorming isn’t really heading anywhere, Bepo thinks. All they do is relieve some stress from their shoulders and have something to talk about because _nothing_ ever comes to their mind of a reason why their friend was attacked in the middle of the night. Yes, Law is arrogant, but he has never been a total jerk to his patients or other people he encountered. In fact, Bepo can say that Law is generally kind, but expresses it selectively which is primarily the reason why he’s misunderstood. 

Bepo looks at Luffy. The guy is there at the far corner, head leaning against the pillar. He hasn’t spoken to him as when he arrived, Luffy was already asleep in that same corner. Bepo goes beside the kid, noticing that he is holding his right ring finger as if he’s finding comfort in its existence. It is faintly lit in white, a sign that Law is struggling with his battle for his life. Bepo stops himself from crying. 

Law has always been there for Bepo. He is his first friend who taught him to stand for himself and realize his own dream. He has been like a brother to him and right now that he’s the one in trouble, Bepo feels helpless. 

Heavy steps jolt the guys aware, all of them looking at where they come from. Running from the right corner before turning to their way, Cora-san spots them, his eyes lighting up in an instant. “Guys!” Cora almost trips but quickly redeems himself, panting in front of Bepo. 

Cora has been crying, his eyes puffy and red. "You!?" breathes out, spotting the kid beside Bepo. Luffy then slowly stirs, looking up at Cora’s wide, crimson eyes. 

“Who are you?” Luffy asks after yawning. 

Cora-san’s reaction to Luffy surprises Bepo, as he bursts into tears and brings Luffy into a bone-crushing hug. “Thank you!” 

Luffy’s lungs are squeezed, making him lose precious air. He makes a choking sound before Cora releases him, catching the lost breath. 

“It’s…” Luffy coughs before he smiles brightly at Cora, “It’s nothing! I should have seen him sooner so this wouldn’t have happened,” the atmosphere significantly drops cold after Luffy said that. 

Cora’s shoulders drop as he smiles ruefully, “This isn’t your fault, you know?” He ruffles Luffy’s hair as they sit, looking beyond the glass doors where Law is. 

“Law’s always been a weak child, in a physical sense,” Bepo, his friends, and Luffy turn to Cora, curious to what he has to say. 

“This would have been a myth, but the records say that those with the initials “D” are cursed with genetically inherited disorders.” Cora props his elbows on his legs, crouching. 

Bepo didn’t know this. He looks at both Shachi and Peng, who are as confused as he is.

“Law is one, and he has Hemophilia B. If he was normal, his condition wouldn’t have been this worse,” Cora continues, his eyes locked at the door. 

Bepo nods in understanding. He has looked through the report of Law’s status and it says that he received two penetrating traumas on his axillary artery, which is in his upper chest and another in his upper abdomen. The first wound has pierced his liver, and the other one a large artery. Both drew a huge amount of blood out of Law and paired with that is his hemophilia, prompting him to bleed longer instead of clotting. When he was brought in the ER, he was already in the fourth class of hemorrhage which is due to the amount of blood he has lost just within a short amount of time. The EM staff quickly did the massive transfusion protocol but needed more blood as Law had to be in a surgery.

Since the weapon that was used was drawn out after each stab, it created a larger damage to the arteries, leading to hemorrhagic shock. Whoever has done this definitely knows how much damage they can afflict. 

“I’m a D,” Luffy suddenly says, making Cora’s eyes wide like saucers. 

“What…?” Cora spluttered. 

“I’m a D,” Luffy reiterates. “I don’t have that hemo- whatever, but I have uh…” Luffy taps his chin, his eyebrows furrowed. It seems that his thinking didn’t bear fruit as he groans in annoyance afterward. 

“I can’t feel pain! Jiji says it’s inherited and that his mother had it. Oh!” The kid raises his brows, “My brother has narcolepsy!” 

Cora-san’s face still paints with horror, but he gulps it down and nods at Luffy, almost absent-mindedly. It’s as if knowing more Ds is something that he fears the most. 

Bepo hasn’t heard of this thing, but he hopes he did. Genetically inherited disorders are rare as they go because most of them are passed through their mothers. Although, this case is particularly interesting as it seems to be consistent. The only variation is the disease itself. Bepo thinks that the disease that is passed onto the generation of families might be unique to that family. The Ds might be a distinct clan long ago that he hopes can be traced through genealogy. 

“Your parents must take good care of you, then!” Cora exclaims, smiling at the kid. 

Luffy returns with a beam of his own. “My brothers do! They’re the best!”

“I’m glad,” slowly, Cora’s smile fades, replaced with an anguished frown that he is trying hard to lift upside down.

Bepo feels disheartened after Cora-san’s loss of enthusiasm. His sadness is somehow contagious, making him sink in his seat. 

Luffy suddenly holds one of Cora’s hands, squeezing it once. “He’s going to make it,” Luffy looks firmly at Cora in his eyes.

Bepo wants to believe him, so he does his own way of comforting, leaning his head on Cora’s shoulder. He doesn’t speak, he just closes his eyes, letting the time pass before him. 

\----------

_190604_

_5:13 am_

The surgery ends after five hours. Kureha would have finished sooner if the trauma resident beside her did his job quicker. She’d been yelling at him all throughout the procedure that his name turned into something in the lines of “slug” and “snail”. He soon corrected her and said his name is “Clione” but that isn’t too far from the animals she mentioned, so the point is missed. 

She lets the other doctors do the rest, preparing Law to be transferred into an ICU and monitor his condition there. She goes out of the operating room after a stretch and sees five men on the seats provided, all snoring their asses out. Kureha scoffs and walks away when one of them wakes up. 

“Doctor!” 

This kid isn’t familiar with Kureha. The other ones work in the hospital and the tall man is Law’s father. She stops in her way and entertains him, her eyebrow raised. 

“How is Torao?” 

“He’s alive,” Kureha says, leaning her weight on one side. She had to look at this kid again, as he now looks familiar. The ragged hair and the scar below the eye just scream at her, but she can’t recall right now. 

He sighs and then smiles. _That_ boosted her recollection. His smile has been all over Chopper’s photos that it’s almost a part of her son’s entire existence. His connection to Law is another thing entirely. Kureha has no time to snoop for details. 

“Thank you! When can I see him?” Luffy tries to enter the OR which raised her blood pressure. She grabs him by the back of his collar and pulls him in front of her. 

“No, you can’t! Wait a little longer, he’ll be transferred to another room later,” she says, raising a finger. 

She can’t help but ask, “Are you Luffy, Chopper’s friend?” 

Luffy’s eyes brighten along with his smile, “Yep!” 

Kureha crosses her arms. “No wonder. How did you know Trafalgar?” 

“I met him this morning… I mean, yesterday?” The kid tilts his head, “Yeah, I was his patient yesterday.” 

“Alright,” she nods and glances at the still sleeping men on the seat, looking like a pile of limbs. “Tell them what I said later.” 

Luffy turns to them and then nods at Kureha. “Thanks again, obaa-san!” 

Kureha grits her teeth and slams a fist on the kid’s head, “I’m a glowing young lady, you rascal!” 

Luffy only laughs before she goes her way, hoping to get a sleep after this long shift of hers. She has been working for twenty hours now, and she has only slipped in a few minutes of sleep. Exhausted to deal with anything, she heads to her office, only to be stopped by a series of chuckles in the other room. They’re from Wapol, the bastard, which kind of irks her. She goes nearer to the door of his office to hear more of what humors Wapol. 

“That brat? Trafalgar?” Wapol’s chuckle evolves into a maniacal laughter, booming all over the place. 

“He should have hit the bucket for all I care! Suits him right!” 

Kureha abandons rest and slams the door open. Wapol is surprised who then drops the telephone, looking at her with narrowed eyes. “O-oi! Doctor Kureha, good mor-”

She throws the nearest pointy object near her which happened to be a fork. Wapol fearfully turns to the object which almost pierced through his skull, now embedded on the wall behind him, vibrating slightly. “Next time you wish death upon someone, that thing would go in your brain then,” Kureha walks up to him as the man flinches. “Mark. My. Word,” she slams her hand on the table before storming out. 

Wapol’s hate against Law stems from his last name. A certain Trafalgar twenty years ago apparently _almost_ revealed how he isn’t worthy of being called a ‘doctor’. He almost lost his license, she remembers. Kureha has long forgotten that issue, but it has remained Wapol’s drive to survive. Pathetic, she might add. 

She goes to her office pissed that she forgot to take a sip from her canister. Kureha will rather sleep this time. She’s dealt with too much bullshit today to be able to continue. 

\----------

_190604_

_7:20 am_

Corazon didn’t sleep. After Luffy, as the kid says his name is, had woken him up saying Law was transferred to an ICU, he chose to stay awake. He waited for more than an hour until all the clearance was checked and he could finally see his son. 

Only two persons at a time are allowed to see the patient and they are required to wear personal protective equipment. Law is still unstable and careless transfer of infection to him is definitely going to send him to the other side. He cannot afford to do that. 

He thought he was ready - he isn’t. As soon as the door is opened for him, Corazon stands on the doorway, nervous at _everything_ that he can’t pinpoint. Numerous tubes are hooked up in Law that it is almost impossible to see his eyes from where he is. Machines of all sorts are also around his bed, with the attending nurse saying that those assist his breathing, another for monitoring his heart and electrical signals, and one for his other vitals. 

Corazon wishes he has the power to silence things out, so he can hear what matters most. 

He inhales, taking a step forward beside Law’s bed as the nurse leaves him with final reminders. Lying on the bed, and unmoving - Corazon looks at his son, as his heart sinks. “Oh, Law.” 

Bepo enters the room, occupying the empty right side of him. He is silently looking at his friend, and Corazon is thankful for his presence. They will not talk, instead, share the silence between them. 

He takes the time to think of why this is happening. As far as Corazon knows, they have been living under the radar - all low-profile. Law and Sanji both entered school and advanced to higher education, all because of their own efforts. As their father, he only gave his support and worked his bones out to provide them with money for their study. 

Rocinante (it is his real name, and the two boys just grew on his nickname, Corazon) works as a secretary of the mayor in the city. It provides them just enough money to go by. After Law finished his medical school, he’s tried to help him compensate for all the debts they’ve piled up since medical schooling is expensive despite having a few scholarships. Sanji has almost the same situation, only that he can somehow earn his own money by doing part-times in their school’s canteen as a cook.

They are relatively a normal family, and Rocinante has tried everything to ensure that none of these children’s pasts haunt them again. They lived like they’re always being hunted, but he _really_ tried to give them a normal life after everything. 

Rocinante knew their scars more than anybody. For years, they have been healing. However, it seems like this choice of constantly hiding will come back biting them in their least expected time. 

Sanji hasn’t come home for days now and worried is an understatement. He left no sign of his whereabouts and that has triggered Corazon’s anxiety. After that night when Sanji went out with his sister, he couldn’t sleep tight. Could it be that they found Sanji?

Unbeknownst to Sanji, Rocinante knows _everything_ about him. He was a former member of the Armed Forces and there is almost nothing that he doesn’t know. Since Sanji didn’t want to mention any of that, Rocinante refused to talk about it. He decided to give him a normal life, much like what he had promised to give to Law. Both kids with a terrible fate, Rocinante opened his arms to them and embraced them both, sheltering them against the pain of the past. 

He knows he shouldn’t lie to himself and accept the fact that they are going to inevitably face the things that pushed them to the brink of death. Rocinante is scared, he isn’t certain if he can protect them again. 

Rocinante has already failed with Law, for he almost died last night. He feels powerless and incapable. If worst comes to worst, he fears that he might not be able to do anything. 

A few hours pass and Bepo has gone to his shift. Shachi and Penguin went to visit shortly before their own shifts and Rocinante is left alone with Law. He isn’t going to work today, and will probably go AWOL for a week. No one is going to watch over Law, as his friends are vital to the hospital system. The ones he is worrying about are their dogs, Bolt and Choco. He only left them food for a day. He might ask either of Law’s friends to check them out. 

He decides to take a short nap when he’s shortly awakened by someone entering the room. He blinks and raises his head and he meets eyes with Sanji. Heart drumming hard in his chest, Rocinante rises from his seat and jumps to wrap Sanji in his arms, squeezing him once. “Sanji!”

Unexpected but totally welcomed, Corazon releases him, tears in his eyes. “Where have you been?”

There is a glint from Sanji's eyes that Rocinante knew a lot. A man on a mission, he sees, and gladly he takes him on. 

“I have to tell you something.” 

Corazon purses his lips, a little hesitant. “I’ll listen. Take a seat.” 

He watches as Sanji avoids looking at his brother lying on the bed, his shoulder tensing every time there’s a loud beep from the monitor. He sits on the other chair, his fingers fidgeting. 

“I’m sorry, Cora-san.” 

The way Sanji looks at Rocinante is enough to shatter his heart. This reminds him of Sanji, fourteen years ago, among the rubbles. He was so little, surrounded by fire and _the dead._ Corazon bites his lip and stops himself from crying. He has to show he’s strong, as it seems his son needs it the most now. 

“Sanji…” He gives him a rueful smile.

“I’m from North Blue and my parents, they're...” Sanji looks away, his brows furrowing. “The Vinsmokes.”

“I know,” Rocinante decides to help him lift the burden. Sanji looks back at him with wide eyes, surprised that he knows. “The Vinsmokes own Germa, the I.T. empire with five heirs but one was supposedly dead,” he supplies, a small smile in his lips, “You’re the dead one, aren’t you?” 

Sanji gulps, gathering his hair in his hand. “Yeah.”

Conglomerates such as Germa is not so easy to take on, that even the Interpol can’t touch. They built the foundation of global technology, pioneering in the communication and information technologies. No matter how shady they run their business, their role in worldwide connectivity is irreplaceable. Suddenly paralyzing them is like an attack to the entire world. That is why nobody dares to taint its name and whoever tries gets obliterated either with a large sum of money, or perpetual silence. 

“I ran away from them when I was ten and Zeff found me and took me in.” 

Corazon nods, knowing how that happened. Zeff was a runaway chef of the Vinsmokes and was accused of attempting to poison the head of the family. Rocinante was one of the Force’s people to hunt for Zeff and when he finally tracked him, he only found a burning restaurant and Sanji in there. Zeff was dead. 

Sanji sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose before continuing, “Reiju came in our home that night to tell me that they murdered somebody and they want to pin the blame on someone else.” 

“You,” Rocinante says lowly, his eyes looking firmly against Sanji’s. 

The younger nods once, “I had to go away but one of my brothers caught us and attacked me so I fought back.”

Rocinante squints his eyes. 

“I got injured and Luffy found me,” Sanji smiles a little, “he helped me along with his brother and friend. They treated my wounds and all. Then just this morning, I received…” 

Sanji clenches his fist, “I received Law’s image in his car, all bloodied as a blackmail. Niji wants to pressure me into confessing the crime I didn’t do,” he hisses, his teeth grit. 

Rocinante feels his blood boil. So it’s the _Vinsmokes_ that put Law’s life in danger. To think that they just used him as a bait to catch Sanji infuriates him. He can almost compare them to a certain someone he knows. 

He sinks in his chair, trying to calm himself down. “They should be stopped, Sanji. They’ve done too much,” Corazon and Sanji glance at Law, who is still unresponsive. 

“I know, Cora-san, but,” Rocinante furrows his brows, shaking his head slowly. He then grabs Sanji’s hand, squeezing it to offer comfort. 

“Don’t be afraid, you’ve been hiding long enough,” he smiles, “You won’t be alone this time. I’ll help you.” Every word he says is the truth. Rocinante wants to get out of hiding _now,_ and start fighting for their lives and freedom they so long wished. “Heck, even Law would surely come by.”

After trying so hard suppressing his tears, Sanji finally lets go of them and Corazon finds it refreshing. It seems like Sanji had been agonizing about this for the days he was missing. His son is trying to protect what they’ve built, and Rocinante cannot feel any more rueful. 

“Thank you, Cora-san.” 

Rocinante pulls him into a hug, caressing his back. “It’s gonna be alright, now,” _I’ll make sure of it._

He hears Sanji sob in his shoulder while Rocinante tries to stop himself from crying by biting his cheeks and swallowing the lump in his throat. It must be very rough for Sanji, as his cry seems to have come from the deepest corners of his heart. He hugs him more tightly, and notices how Law’s heart rate speeds up slightly. The change is very minuscule, but Corazon sees it. 

Then he remembers someone, as he exclaims, releasing Sanji from his hug. “You said Luffy brought you here, right?” 

“Yeah, he’s waiting outside,” Sanji gestures outside.

“I forgot to thank him after last night!” Rocinante moves to go out when Sanji pulls him. 

“I’ll do it, Cora-san. I’ll also come with him to settle something,” Sanji flashes his teeth, making Corazon curious as he raises his brow, his head tilts. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I owe him and some other person something, I ought to settle it.” 

Rocinante lets his son go, settling back to the chair beside Law. Ever since he decided to be a father at a young age, he never regretted adopting Law and Sanji and raising them to who they are now. He is aware that there is still a large part of their souls that is still their driving force to live, but he’ll never ever trade the years he had them for anything. 

It may get rougher the following days. As much as he hated it, he needs to go back to the old man and ask for help. 

\----------

_190604_

_??:?? pm_

Just like he planned, Rocinante composes himself to meet with the old man and arrange something for him. He hadn’t visited him for around two years now, but it isn’t like his old man is someone resentful. Leaving Law to his friends, he goes to the Headquarters, nothing in him but his desire to help his son. 

“And you are?” A bulky man, shorter than him for a few inches blocks his way to the door. 

“Rocinante. Tell Sengoku I’d like to see him,” the blonde man tilts his head upwards, looking down at the man. 

The man looks at him before he grabs his radio and says his request. There is a static, until the man steps aside, opening the door for him. 

With his hand inside his pocket, Rocinante enters the room, his heels clanking against the floor. An old man is seated on the far edge of the room in front of a wooden table, the Raftel flag behind him and the seal of the Army. 

“Oh, Roci! Long time no see,” Sengoku, the nation’s Chief of Staff, exclaims, turning his head from the person he was talking to a few seconds ago to acknowledge him. Rocinante didn’t notice him there, as with Sengoku is Monkey D. Garp, a Lieutenant General of the Armed Forces. These two old men are known to be best of friends in their field and have worked together in two of the major wars in the world. Basically, they are veterans, yet they still work for the country in the highest positions.

With these men in the same room as his, Rocinante cannot help but stand still. 

“He’s your son, right?” Garp speaks while his mouth is full of chips he has been eating, throwing crumbs all over him. 

Sengoku smiles with his eyes slightly closed, showing the little wrinkles around them. “Yep! How’s life going on with you and my grandsons?” He scoops a handful of chips from Garp, munching them. 

“Well,” Rocinante furrows his brows, a little hesitant. His demeanor silences the two old men, sensing his distress. 

“What’s wrong?” Sengoku is now unsettled. 

“Law is in a coma. Someone planned his assault.” 

Sengoku’s eyes narrow as he slowly leans against his seat. Garp stops from his crunching, trying to gauge the situation himself. 

“I need your help.” 

\---------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> huzaah im back! law isnt lmao welp
> 
> also sanji's stuff is finally explained! cora-san has connections o.o will this end well, though? hmmmmm 
> 
> when will law wake up??? will law even wake up????? hmmm
> 
> \--------
> 
> I thought I'd put in the age of the current characters we have here so: (i'll add peeps when they're introduced)
> 
> Luffy - 21, 2nd Year college, music major  
> Law- 28, 2nd year surgery resident  
> Sanji - 26, licensed attorney without a firm yet  
> Zoro - 26, police agent   
> Ace - 27, police agent  
> Bepo - 24, RN I  
> Shachi - 27, RN II  
> Penguin - 27, medical technologist  
> Corazon - 44, secretary/out of commission brig. gen.


End file.
